“We are a couple with an adopted daughter aged 13.  She came into our lives at the age of 4.  We quickly realised our family was ‘different’ to others, including those from our own family.  They didn’t understand why our daughter behaved in a certain way.  How the trauma and severe neglect she had been subjected to in her early life had impacted on her.  That giving a child a new start ‘a forever family’ would not automatically make things better for her.  Or that our way or parenting ‘the therapeutic way’ was helping her.  We found ourselves bombarded with wellbeing suggestions and advice that felt overwhelming and left us feeling like we were failing.  

For this reason we quickly sought to find people who understood us.  People who were walking the same path.  People who wore the scars we did.  We found that through Adoption Coffee Mornings.  Through these monthly events we began to build connections.  It was at one of these the mention of the Adoption Camps came up.  Our daughters first experience of Clare and Lydia’s adoption camp was at the age of 6.  We’d not had a great deal of experience of camping. However, we decided to go for it and booked ourselves on the 5 day camp and we are so glad we did.  We’ve not missed a camp since.  It’s one of the best weeks of our year.  A place we feel we belong.  We meet with other adopters and their families. It’s a place that we can just be.  A place of acceptance and support.  In the early days being able to share concerns with other adopters and get advice from people who had walked that path.  For our daughter, the opportunity to be with other adopted people and to build friendships.  To be accepted and loved.  Now, with a teenager we find we can advise others.  We are part of the foundations of the camp.  It wouldn’t be the same without us and we would be missed.  We have found our tribe and our community.  We really welcome and support the setting up of Creating Adoption Networks and eagerly look forward to the next chapter in Clare and Lydia’s story.”