A FAMILY BUILT WITH LOVE

As her kids got older, Bernadette Wilde knew she still had more love to give

- KIM WILLIS, ASHLEIGH PAGE

Lying in bed next to my husband Patrick, then 38, I couldn’t help but feel restless. Our teenage children Sarah, 17, and Jonathan, 16, had grown up so fast and, over the last few months, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I missed them being little – the sleepy cuddles, the playtimes. ‘I think it’s time,’ I blurted to Patrick.

It was 1992 and we’d been discussing adoption for a while. We’d tried fostering when Sarah and Jonathan were nine and 10, but we really wanted to give a child a permanent home.

‘Let’s do it!’ Patrick replied eagerly.

We discussed it with Sarah and Jonathan, who were enthusiastic, and soon found ourselves at a council-run initiative, Family Finders. Flicking through their huge folder of photos of children who needed homes, I couldn’t wait to get things started.

It took a year of assessments and training, but then Family Finders had a baby boy with Down’s syndrome who needed a home. He reminded me of my beloved cousin Kevin, who also had Down’s syndrome and a beautiful personality.