Choosing PROCARE, Again and Again
Some decisions in life feel steady from the start. Choosing PROCARE as my adoption agency has always been one of those decisions.
From the very beginning, working with PROCARE felt clear, honest, and human. There were no surprises or vague promises. The process and the fees were explained upfront, carefully and transparently, which immediately built trust. Adoption is already emotionally complex; knowing exactly where you stand logistically makes an enormous difference.
What I have appreciated most is how consistently PROCARE “holds your hand” throughout the journey, not in an overbearing way, but in a way that reassures you that you are not walking this road alone. They attend to both the emotional and the practical realities of adoption. They understand that prospective adoptive parents come carrying hope, fear, grief, excitement, impatience, and vulnerability—often all at once—and they make space for all of it.
Their screening process is thorough and rigorous, and I’ve come to value that deeply. Adoption should never be rushed or taken lightly. The careful assessments are not obstacles; they are safeguards — for children, for biological parents, and for adoptive families. Knowing that PROCARE takes this responsibility seriously gave me confidence not only in the process, but in the integrity of the organisation itself.
Something else that stands out, and that matters enormously to me, is the respect PROCARE shows toward biological parents. Their stories are never treated as footnotes. Their lives, choices, losses, and courage are honoured with dignity and compassion. Adoption is not a single story; it is many intertwined journeys, and PROCARE never loses sight of that truth.
Perhaps the greatest gift of all is knowing that PROCARE’s role does not end once an adoption is finalised. They are not just there for the paperwork or the placement. They are a long-term partner in my child’s life — and in ours as a family. When my child is a teenager and begins asking harder questions, PROCARE will still be there. When they are in their twenties and seeking deeper understanding, PROCARE will still be there.
Adoption, if you allow it, involves bringing PROCARE into your family, not as an authority hovering on the sidelines, but as a steady, trusted presence. I am profoundly grateful to know they will walk alongside us for a lifetime, not just a moment.
Parenting, Camping, and Not Giving Up What Makes You You
I am an avid camper and hiker, and if I’m honest, I didn’t realise how often new or prospective parents assume that becoming a parent means giving up the things they love most.
My experience has been the opposite. I need my hobbies to stay sane. I need them to stay grounded. And more than that, I want my child to see what the fullest, richest, most joy-filled version of me looks like. That version of me exists most clearly when I am outside—camping, hiking, walking slowly through wild places.
Camping is where I feel most myself. So rather than letting that go, my child and I have leaned into it together. We now go on at least five camping trips a year. We have travelled all the way up to the Kalahari, right along the border with Botswana. We have hiked the Transkei coastline and road-tripped through Namaqualand to see the flowers in bloom. We have hiked across Table Mountain in all seasons.
My child loves diving into rock pools even though he hasn’t learned how to swim yet. We explore together. We move slowly. We notice things. These shared adventures have become some of the most meaningful parts of our life together.
There is something incredibly powerful about sharing the activities that give you life with your child, and then watching them begin to love those things too. It has been a gift I didn’t fully anticipate.
So to parents who worry about what they might have to give up when adopting: some things do shift. Late nights and hangovers? You don’t have to give them up, but you might want to. Hiking and camping? Definitely not. Carrying a child on your back makes you stronger. Sure, it slows you down—to do a nappy change, to get a snack from the bag, to search for the phone they decided to drop in the river, but also to enjoy the little things they stop to notice that you’ve long stopped noticing yourself. It deepens the experience. It makes it richer in ways you could never have imagined.
Parenthood doesn’t have to shrink your world. It can expand it, if you let it. And for me, adoption, PROCARE, and a life lived outdoors have come together in ways that feel deeply aligned, deeply grounding, and deeply joyful.