She Knows Too Much

Wow! Our readership has QUINTUPLED since my last post! I guess this means we've finally become internet famous.

Monday, the house was cleaner than it had been in months. By the time I came home from work on Tuesday, I may have needed an electron microscope to find any rogue dirt molecules, Jen having imposed her mighty Will of Order onto things that once lay in disarray. Only the Evil Hairy Ones roamed about, leaving a trail of filth upon the living room rug. We were ready for the home study.

Well, that's not really true... I had no idea what to expect. My imagination conjured up a stern-looking cadre of inspectors, clipboards in hand, frowning down the lengths of their noses while they delved deep into our worst childhood memories, sighing while shaking their heads and making notes that they were not only going to confiscate our dogs, but recommend that we be given charge over no organism more complicated than a plant.

Plus, they all kind of looked like the evil elementary school teacher from Invader Zim:

Above: those judging, judging eyes

In reality, Suzanne (the social worker) and Jen were laughing when I walked in the door. She turned out to be a very warm, friendly and caring person, genuinely motivated to help us create the right kind of environment to raise a daughter born in another land. She looked around the house briefly, only concerned that there wasn't a smoke detector near the kitchen. Guess what's on my weekend project list?

The interviews were brief and interesting. She asked things such as how we would describe our parents, how well we got along with our siblings, how we met, what kind of discipline methods we planned on using, what our hobbies were (choice quote about the '80s new wave / rock cover band I play for: "Bleh... you only like '80s music because you're too young to have been around for the '60s, when all the good music came out."), etc. Where I expected a deep excavation into my subconscious and harsh judgment of our every moral failing, there was laughter, learning, and encouragement.

Suzanne, having several internationally adopted kids of her own, knows a thing or two about keeping a loving home and good parenting. She left us with a book to read on China's adoption program, some websites to start our parental training, and some renewed perspective.

-- Kevin