After going back and forth between us we have managed to craft our dear birthparent letter. It reads…
Dear Birthparents,
To us, a family is a close-knit group of relatives who take care of each other in both good times and bad. Between us, our ever-growing family has four parents, six brothers and sisters and their partners, nine nieces and nephews, but no children. Jeff’s family lives in Iowa and we visit them twice each year. Stephen’s family is scattered around the country, with some being nearby, some in New Hampshire, and others being more distant.
We are a committed couple of 15 years living together in north-central New Jersey along the edge of the Watchung wildlife reservation. The community we live in has excellent schools, beautiful parks, and many community activities.
We would like to maintain contact with you through yearly visits, as well as letters and photographs of the child as he or she grows up. This is important to us because we want the child to have an understanding of where he or she came from. We realize you may not be comfortable with this level of contact, and would accept less if you wanted.
We both have master’s degrees. Jeff’s degrees are in art and art education, while Stephen’s degrees are in psychology and college administration. Jeff is employed full time as a web designer and Stephen is self-employed as a Internet webmaster. Because Stephen’s work schedule is flexible, Stephen will be a “stay-at-home-dad” for the foreseeable future.
Among our many hobbies are reading science fiction and fantasy books, playing computer games like World of Warcraft, listening to 80’s music, taking walks, playing with our three three-legged cats (yes, you read that right), watching television together, following liberal politics, and playing chess. We are intellectuals (but not nerds!) and so we tend to prefer quiet, bonding activities rather than sports and athletics.
In short, we are a loving couple that can offer a child a welcoming home with all of the opportunities a child needs. Love, security, and open-mindedness will always be central to our home.
Stephen & Jeff