As Wade and I complete the self-studies required for Bethany's home study process, I am amazed at the mental and emotional energy it takes to sufficiently answer the questions. Before personally going through this process, I always wondered what type of things were asked. Well, here's a little looksie!
Describe your personality; include what you view as your strengths and weaknesses.
What significant events or experiences have shaped your personality?
Describe a personal achievement that gave you satisfaction.
List some personal goals for yourself and your family.
What are your interests, hobbies and activities?
Describe your family during your childhood, including relationships among family members.
What were the positive and negative qualities of your family?
Describe the values, traditions, and expectations you feel your parents attempted to instill in you.
Describe your parents' relationship to each other, both while you were growing up and today.
What kind of child were you? How did you spend your time? Who were your friends? What are your most pleasant childhood memories and unhappy memories?
What methods of discipline did your parents use?
Describe your educational experience and include dates of graduation.
How did you meet your spouse? What attracted you to him/her? How are you alike? How are you different?
What strengths do you bring to the marriage? What strengths does your partner bring to the marriage?
How has your relationship changes since the "honeymoon?" What do you admire about him/her now?
What are your common interests and activities?
What are your main areas of disagreement? Do you and your spouse agree on spending and saving?
How do you settle differences of opinion or disagreements with each other?
How have you divided family responsibilities, such as wage earning, household jobs and childcare?
What are your relationships with each other's families?
What role does your physical relationship play in your marriage?
Please list all previously held jobs, indicating the years spent at each job (list dates). What are your current job responsibilities?
What are your thoughts about a three-month parental leave of absence after a child is placed?
If you have children already, please describe their personalities and interests.
Do your children know of your intention to adopt and if so, how do they respond?
How might adoption be good for your children? How might it be difficult?
How do you think another child will impact your life?
What strengths and experiences do you have that will help you be a good parent?
What will be your methods of discipline? What do you feel are important characteristics of good discipline?
What qualities, values and character would you like to develop in your children, and how would you promote these?
When did you first start thinking about adoption and why? Is infertility a factor in your choice? If so, what medical diagnosis or advice have you received? How long ago? Are you at present trying to conceive?
Do you and your spouse feel the same about adopting? Who initiated the action?
How do your extended family and friends feel about adoption?
3 comments:
It is amazing, isn’t it! On one hand you feel totally overwhelmed by all the questions, on the other hand you think that this is such a valuable exercise and self-reflection that everybody should go through this before marriage, having a child, etc. When we did ours, we had a wonderful time reading each other’s responses!
The questions that hit me the most where questions of what child you are willing to accept into your family (conceived during rape, incest rape, while on drugs to name a few). It totally saddened me that this is the reality of just how broken the world is we live in.
I am just so excited to see that you have made this wonderful decision to take a child into your home and to show this child the love of God through your actions and family!
A. Wallace
Whew! Not sure I could answer some of them. Very in depth. I don't think THAT deeply.
Complex.
From the pretty shallow Kate
What wonderful, thought provoking, questions that we should all talk about with our spouses! I'm sure that was a great exercise for you and Wade to sit and talk about those questions. thanks for posting them so the rest of us could think and talk about them, too!
Julie
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