The Fairweather Fairytale (1975)
Proud to be adopted!! That was my script growing up. I’d known I was adopted all my life. My parents, who loved me dearly, did a great job in getting me to understand how I had come to be theirs. Their chief weapon was a book, read to me on hard rotation (or so it seemed) throughout my early years.
So that’s how children get parents. If you read the book you’ll know that Mr Fairweather was lonely so got a wife. Together they thought something was missing so they got a dog, then a cat. Something was still missing so he suggested (I kid you not) a budgie and then a baby elephant. Finally they realised what was missing was a baby so they toddled off to Sunshine House to get one. So that’s how it works.
The surprise to me came when I first realised there are people who weren’t born and allocated a family in the way I was. They were so different – they hadn’t been chosen at all, they just sort of happened! Oh how lucky I was. Then a dawning realisation that actually they were the norm and I was the one who was different. A bit embarrassing that I didn’t realise this – but still nothing to be ashamed of. Adopted and proud – that’s me. “I was a six-month court battle, you were a split durex” became my battle cry. I took anyone on who said my adoption was anything other than the best thing that could happen to a child.
Back to the book…At Sunshine House the Fairweathers reject the first boy offered them by Miss Downing: “He’s not right for us” is their reasoning. Even better for the 10-yr old adoption evangelist – some other kids may have got rejected before they chose me. How special I am!! It’s not clear why the first child got rejected – too fat, thin, dark, fair, ugly, - who cares!!
After five years they’re back at Sunshine House to pick out a little girl to go with Andrew. She gets to be called Sarah. Oh it’s so like me and my sister. Hope the Fairweathers managed to find two who matched a bit better than me and Claire. Not only were we physically very different, but we just were, well different. And we didn’t get on. And we both carried our own wounds, invisible to even us but doing their damage. No mention of that in the Fairweather family I notice.
