Red-Hot Summer of Red Tape

Now I know why parents start planning summer camps early. Our son started camp this week. We had thought everything was set but there was some kind of mixup and we had to scramble with less than a week to go to find him a slot somewhere. Luckily we (mostly Steve, who has been enormously competent during this process and a great Dad) found him a camp.

The thing is that until we finalize the adoption, we’re technically foster parents, so we have to go through the state for certain official things. Everyone we’re worked with has been great, but it will be something of a relief next year when we have a little less red tape.

It’s just that scrambling to get junior into camp provoked an old response in me: “When did you get this assignment?” I experienced this a lot in school when I would procrastinate and do something at the last minute. My parents and other authority figures would wonder how long I’d known about the science fair project and why was I running around at the end trying to tape together some sort of backboard for my half-assed experiment.

So when we were getting the camp plans together at the 11^th hour, I was picturing all these people at the camps wondering who signs a kid up for camp in July. Didn’t we know this was coming up? Summer comes at the same time every year. Most parents, I’m sure, start planning camp in the winter but we didn’t know we were adopting him then and didn’t get custody until June.

Next year, we’re planning out camp like the day after Christmas. It will be entirely on us then, with no help or permission needed from the state agencies. I’m not complaining about the state since they’ve been great to work with but this is just sort of a different experience. There are some rules, like our child can’t be out of state for more than 48 hours or something. But I know that oversight is for the child’s benefit so it’s fine.

Finalization looks to be (knock on wood) after the first of the year. We can apply after he’s lived with us for six months, which would be in December, but the judge’s docket is booked for that month. So we can go to court in January. The judge was happy with our family and his placement with us. I don’t mind waiting a few extra weeks to finalize. It’s a huge day when the judge bangs the gavel and we become forever family, but a little delay is fine since the important thing is that we’re starting a family now.