From How to Prepare for a Home Study:

9. Prepare to talk about your childhood.

When we went through our home study process, my husband and I each had to meet separately for one meeting with the social worker to discuss our childhoods. For my husband, it was a piece of cake: His childhood was uneventful for the most part. For me, having grown up in an abusive environment, the experience was incredibly painful.

The social worker will ask you questions about your parents, your childhood friends, your siblings, your experiences in school, and other basic information about the beginning of your life. She will ask you about how you were disciplined and how you feel about the way you were raised. If your childhood was uneventful, then you don’t need to do much to prepare for this meeting: You can just answer the questions asked and enjoy reliving a happy part of your life. If your childhood was not so great, then you might want to prepare yourself for this meeting.

In the state of North Carolina, the social worker is required by law to ask you if you were abused as a child. I don’t know what the laws are in other states, but if you were abused as a child, be prepared for this question. If you have never dealt with your childhood issues, it can be extremely hard to talk about them. Remember that social workers are trained in the basics of therapy and that they generally see therapy as a good thing, so don’t be afraid to share that you have seen a therapist to help you deal with your childhood issues.

If you have not seen a therapist, consider entering into therapy now, before you start the home study process. Entering therapy will not prevent you from being able to adopt, and it will be seen as a positive step. More importantly, therapy will help you to become a better parent.

As I discussed in Surviving the Wait: Dealing with Unresolved Issues, the best gift you can give your child is a healthier parent. You owe it to yourself, as well as your child, to become the emotionally healthiest person that you can be.

Related Topic:

Surviving the Wait: Dealing with Unresolved Issues