

We were in line to get two different boys at two different times and both fell through at the end. Second, it took us way longer to get kids than it did in the movie. You hear about how many children are in need and think you are going to get your kids in a couple of weeks not YEARS. First, that whole, “we have the kids in the back to adopt today” thing is how all potential adopters feel. Two things stuck out to me about the timelines. When you start you think that is how it is going to happen, but it is actually the caseworkers who pair up the kids with potential families. The thing is, no one I have ever talked to met their kids at one of them.
#INSTANT FAMILY CAST HOW TO#
That thing where you stand around, wondering how to approach a little child and start talking to them is so TRUE. We went to SO MANY of those awkward “meet the kids” events. Having a baby proof house with no kids is heartbreaking on a daily level and something I am sure potential adopters AND couples who lose babies can understand.ĥ Tips For When You Are Trying To Adopt Older Foster Kids Meeting The Kids At A Meet and Greet We jumped on the bandwagon and got our house ready about a year before any real kids showed up. In my post about adopting older foster kids, I talked about getting the bed for our first potential boy WAY too soon. That was our first inkling that things were going to get stranger… Baby Proofing The House The lady who came in wreaking of booze, sitting with her sunglasses on all day and asking lots of questions about how much money you can get for each kid comes to mind.
#INSTANT FAMILY CAST MOVIE#
And DAMN, that one lady in there who had a picture of adopting the Blind Side movie boy didn't even touch how weird some of the people were. Once we decided to go for it we jumped right in and took the class. I thought, okay, let's get back to our life and go to Vegas then… but he slept on it, did a bunch of research online and woke up the next morning ready to adopt. His answer to adopting a child was, “that ship has sailed”.

I guess I sprung it on my husband the way she did and he had a pretty similar reaction! I don't know about the Mom in the movie, but I had always had a little thing in the back of my mind of adopting one foster kid when my husband and I couldn't have our own babies. Here is my honest review about what Instant Family got right and wrong about adopting from the foster care system! For sure I will be covering themes of adoption, but also trauma, loss and joy.Ī couple of disclaimers… I sometimes have affiliate links in posts AND I showed my kids this post before I published it, they approve! The Mom Bringing It Up Out Of The Blue They were super excited because the movie tells the story of 3 foster kids who get adopted and they ARE part of 3 foster kids my husband and I adopted! We are able to look back and remember what it was like to fall in love with our kids.My two littlest children and I went to the movies last night to see Instant Family. “But then, along the way, you fall in love and it becomes this incredible thing that’s more special than you could have ever expected. “When you think of the most basic love story, you get together, think it’s going to be easy and then turns out to be a s-t show,” he said. With time, that awkwardness and those fears slowly washed away. They don’t trust you and you feel lost and scared.” It’s exhausting and you don’t know what you’re doing.

“You feel like you’re babysitting someone else’s kids. You’re supposed to carry on like this family, but you just met,” explained Anders.

In the beginning, “You have these total strangers who come into your home. Today, said Anders, “we’re like any other family.” Director Sean Anders with his wife Beth and their three kids at an event for his new movie, "Instant Family." Vera Anderson / WireImageīut building that bond wasn’t easy. By 2012, they welcomed three siblings - now 13, 9, and 8 - into their L.A. “That joke made my wife look into foster care and adoption.”įrom there, the couple registered for orientation, began taking foster care classes and went to an adoption fair, where they met with potential matches. What if we adopt a 5-year-old? It'll be like we had started five years ago?’” Anders, 49, told TODAY Parents. “I made this stupid joke one day where I said, ‘I feel like I'm going to be one of those old dads.
