Adoptions in the pandemic, “My Khushi expected 21 months”

Khushi means Happinessto. It is the name of a little girl who has lived in Italy since March. Every day he lists his things in Hindi: “My mom, my dad, my house, my room.” She still uses the language of her country of origin, soon she will do so in Italian, the language of her family, a family that waited for her for 21 months also due to the pandemic.

Even before the Indian variant and the drama that the country is experiencing, the situation of adoptions in India and the rest of the world was very difficult.

«The fatigue of the months of waiting during the pandemic was very hard. Lots of meetings with the psychologist “, says Elisa, the mother,” In the last few weeks the fear of a positivity that could not make us leave. Until we were on the last plane we were not calm ».

His parents, followed by Ciai, they learned a little bit of Hindi in order to calm her down. Khushi, the name probably comes from her family of origin, arrived in the institute around 3 years old with the child line, a rescue line for children on the street. The adoption process began when she was under five, now she is six and a half. A completely different path from the previous one of the family in 2007 in Cambodia.

“It was only four months from the time we learned that this was our son until we went to pick him up. Very short time. 21 months have passed with Khushi. We knew she was meant to be our daughter, but the sentence needed in India to confirm the adoption came in the autumn due to the slowness of the Indian courts and the pandemic. Departure was slowed down because it was difficult to get a special visa. Lots of passages connected to each other »explains the mother.

“We sent them albums, videos, photos. We know that something they showed her, little, from what we understood from her. It is difficult for a child to manage a time as long as 21 months. It is difficult to find a balance between the thought that there are a mother and a father who have to come and get you and the fact that they never arrive »he adds.

Serena Amoruso, Psychologist Ciai, tells of similar paths for many families, but each personal. «The need is to tell the truth to families. Times have expanded. It depends on the country. Up to three years. The waiting time has become more vague and it is essential to support families by meeting couples in Italy ».

At the beginning the whole life and health story of the child is told, no photo, name or date of birth. These will come later. «For families, the most difficult phase is that between matching and getting to know each other. Because you know the baby is alone. Worries become real. There is a child not an idealization» conclude.

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