The Perils of Paperwork

Well we're in the thick of it - paperwork! Of course it's taken us MUCH longer than we anticipated to complete this leg of our journey but this is difficult stuff and, like most everyone we know, we're busy people. Some of the questions are elaborate and so extensive that I haven't even ever considered them myself before. The document we're working on (the biggest part of the overall bundle of forms and paperwork we will turn in to Elly) is four pages long and that's just for the questions. We're about 90% done with it and the beast is already 16 pages long. I'm trying hard to remember that all this introspection is going to make us better parents in the long run but sometimes it's hard to keep a positive frame of mind.

Michael and I had "words" earlier today because this whole process is just overwhelming and stressful and we tend to handle the stresses differently. The questions require extensive thought about all kinds of things - from childhood and beyond. Here are just a few examples:

1. The values by which you were raised; which parent you resemble the most, significant childhood memories:
2. Your family - by whom you were raised and with whom you lived throughout your childhood; number of siblings; number of siblings currently living and your relationship with them:
3. The “how and who” of discipline in your family; behaviors or rules expected of you; family mottos:
4. The most fulfilling personal experience you have had as an individual; the situations that bring you tears or laughter, happiness or sadness; the events that have caused you the most disappointment in life and what you would like to achieve in the future:

So an on and so forth, through just about every imaginable topic. At one point Michael got frustrated and said, "why do they need to know all this stuff anyway?" I didn't have a great answer for him except that they're trying to get to know us so that they can ensure we'll be good parents, and so they can help us find a birth family we'll be strongly compatible with. Whatever! There's not much to do except get it done...and we're close to that mark...but this is just plain overwhelming and I'm tired!