Personal stories

An interview with adult ally and youth in care advocate Violet-Rose Pharoah.

What inspires you to make art and be a part of art projects that focus on the experiences of foster care?

As someone who is naturally quiet and introverted, I find that art provides the opportunity for me to explore and express my feelings. My involvement with art projects focused on foster care stems from my own personal lived experience, as well as the belief that art is a powerful transformational tool in creating change.

Being adopted isn't easy. It can be a very scary process. That is normal for most people. I was very scared going through the whole process of adoption. It's okay to be scared because being adopted is a very big change that will affect your whole life.

I got over my fear of being adopted by talking to friends and family about my feelings. I talked to people who I knew have been adopted to help me get over the fear of adoption.

It’s everyone’s favourite time of year again: tax time! This year a reader asked us for help understanding how to claim Canada’s adoption tax credit. In this article, adoptive dad and financial professional John Hakkarainen returns for the third year in a row—this time, to explain the nuts and bolts of line 313.

The Kirkbys adopted their daughter from China just shy of her first birthday. In this audio interview, Sheila shares their family story and how AFABC’s education and community connections helped them feel prepared.

Click the audio player below to listen. 

The Kenos say that you're never too old to provide a family for kids who need it. Here they share their story, along with why being an AFABC Member was important to them.

Mary Ellen and her husband already had three daughters, but they knew they had more love to give. 

Growing their family through adoption has been busy and exhausting for the Carroll family. Jennifer shares their story, along with why being an AFABC Member is important to their family.

Finding the right match

A growing number of grandparents in BC are living with and raising their grandchildren. in this story, a grandmother shares her very personal experience with becoming the legal guardian of her daughter's child. To protect the privacy of her daughter and grandchild, names have been redacted. 

Stuck in the system

I remember getting the call from the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) like it was yesterday. It was Friday, December 30, 2016, at 9 am. A clear, cool day. 

Nothing strikes fear into the hearts of prospective adoptive parents like the home study. They imagine a scowling social worker examining every crack and crevice of their home, taking marks off for dusty picture frames or unwashed dishes in the sink, and asking intrusive questions abut the most intimate details of their life. In this article, a hopeful adoptive mom shares what the experience was actually like.

In the last few decades, openness in adoption has become the norm. Professional research and the personal experiences of adoptees and birth parents support the idea that some degree of openness is usually best for everyone, even in adoptions from foster care. That doesn't mean it's always easy, though. In this article, Sarah, an adoptive mom, explains how her family navigated an unexpectedly rough patch in their open adoption journey.