A Long and Winding Path to Fatherhood - Rob and Eve Lucas - Adoption Journey

Aug 7, 2026

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This book tells the story of becoming parents through adoption from a father’s viewpoint, focusing on the lived experience of applications, approvals, interviews, paperwork, and the long process of finding and welcoming their son. It addresses what prospective dads think and feel along the way, and how the adoption journey unfolds across stages, court dates, introductions, and early parenting. The narrative emphasizes family experiences over the child’s background, written for hopeful adopters and professionals seeking a dad’s perspective.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryStory & Novel

FormatPDF

Pages157

Reading Time4 h 2 min

AccessFree to download

Authors’ note

Introduction: What this book is about

Prologue: What do I do now?

PART 1 - Getting there: application and approval to adopt

Stage 1 and the endless paperwork

Stage 2: background and parenting

PART 2 - Searching for our son: how do you find a child to adopt?

How we found our son

Some stories don’t have a happy ending

PART 3 - What happens next: becoming parents

Meeting Marcus

Finally adopted!

[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Copyright © 2026 Rob and Eve Lucas The moral right of the authors has been asserted. Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers. Troubador Publishing Ltd Unit E2 Airfield Business Park Harrison Road, Market Harborough Leicestershire LE16 7UL Tel: 0116 279 2299 [Email:](Email: books@troubador.co.uk)[ ](Email: books@troubador.co.uk)[books@troubador.co.uk](Email: books@troubador.co.uk) [Web:](Web: www.troubador.co.uk)[ ](Web: www.troubador.co.uk)[www.troubador.co.uk](Web: www.troubador.co.uk) [ISBN 978-1-80634-790-2](ISBN 978-1-80634-790-2) British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. The manufacturer ’s authorised representative in the EU for product safety is Authorised Rep Compliance Ltd, 71 Lower Baggot Street, Dublin D02 P593 Ireland ([www.arccompliance.com](www.arccompliance.com)). [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) For our son and for all the adopters, at their own point on this long and winding path. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Authors’note This story is based on real events, however names and locations have been changed to protect the identity of those involved. [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Contents Authors’ note Introduction: What this book is about Prologue: What do I do now? PART 1 GETTING THERE: APPLICATION AND APPROVAL TO ADOPT 1 The path to parenthood: we thought it would just happen 2 Getting started with adoption 3 Stage 1 and the endless paperwork 4 Meeting people like us: Prep Group 5 Getting to Stage 2 6 Stage 2: background and parenting 7 Stage 2: the interviews and questions 8 New year and new timescale 8¾ Celebrating – we’re approved! 9 Parenting skills PART 2 SEARCHING FOR OUR SON: HOW DO YOU FIND A CHILD TO ADOPT? 10 How to find a child 11 The search for our child 11¾ Some stories don’t have a happy ending 12 The search goes on 13 How we found our son PART 3 WHAT HAPPENS NEXT: BECOMING PARENTS 14 Meeting Marcus 15 The next three months 16 Finally – introductions in London 17 Our boy arrives at our place 18 Marcus moves in 19 First weeks of fatherhood 20 Parenting in the outside world 21 First friends 22 More paperwork and a birthday 22¾ The court hearing 23 Six months as a family 24 Court date number one 25 School and work 26 Court date number two 27 A year of parenting 28 Court date number three – finally adopted! 29 What came next 30 Our boy goes to school Epilogue: Looking to the future Acknowledgements [OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com) Introduction WHAT THIS BOOK ISABOUT This is the story of how we became parents, finally, by adopting our son. There are lots of great stories like this out there, and my wife Eve and I read a lot of them in the years leading up to becoming parents. However, when I read them, I missed hearing a dad’s perspective and voice. The classic format is a ‘mum-moir’: the tale of how a mum tried, failed and finally triumphed to become a parent, with her partner making special guest appearances at key moments of the adoption narrative, yet never becoming a fully fleshed-out major character in his own right, with an equal number of lines to say. As a prospective father, I wanted to hear what the husbands and wannabe dads were doing and feeling during this journey: first-hand, in a bit of depth and not just as an inclusion in the

FAQs

What is the book about, and whose perspective does it focus on?

It is about how Rob and Eve Lucas became parents through adopting their son. The focus is primarily on the father’s perspective—what the husband and wannabe dads do and feel during the process.

Does the book explain the adopted child’s background and why he needed an additional family?

No. The authors state that the child’s background and reasons for needing an additional and forever family are not their story to tell.

What adoption stages and milestones does the book cover?

It covers application and approval, preparation groups, interviews, searching and finding their son, introductions, court dates, and early parenting through to finally adopted and what comes next.

Aug 7, 2026

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