We can be reached through Vancouver Family Services. Please contact our social worker, Andrea Flanderkova at aflanderkova@fsgv.ca or (604) 736-7613, ext. 14 or 1-866-582-3678.

Parenting is something we don’t take lightly. We deeply value the responsibility and understand that it changes your life. We believe that your child has to be given not simply our love, but also a sense of self worth and the knowledge that we will always be here for them. Life has so much to offer and your child should know that they can do whatever they set out to.

Hi…we’re Wayne and Chad.

First we want to say thank you. Thank you not only for your consideration, but for having the degree of love and courage it takes to make a decision as important as this. We want you to know how deeply we appreciate the journey we are all possibly about to embark on together.

About Us
Chad and I celebrated our tenth year together this February 2, 2008 and have been married for seven and a half years. We met by chance over a haircut and our connection was sudden and strong. Within a few weeks, Chad (that's him on the left) moved into my place and we haven’t looked back since.

Without question, we laugh a lot. We like to be lazy sometimes. I'm a huge Dolly Parton fan while Chad loves the Simpsons. I don’t like board games, Chad does. We love to eat great food and visit with friends as often as possible. I can cook…Chad avoids it at all costs, but cleans up the dishes. We love to read, take trips (Paris, New York, Bali, the local park), listen to music, and watch movies (Chad is sci-fi and I’m romantic comedy).  We go to the gym four times per week and try our best to stay fit and healthy. We are romantic with each other, we are considerate of each other and we are always honest with each other. We are financially stable. Chad works for the federal government while I work in high-end retail. We also own an interior design company and are regularly featured in home décor magazines…we even appear on a monthly TV spot.

Our relationship is based on a very simple idea. If we want to spend our lives together then we must intentionally do the things that steer us in that direction. We came from opposite lives but want the same things and our differences have always been our strength. We love and value our families and our friendships. A child is something we discussed early in our relationship, and we have worked hard to get to a place where we both feel we can offer a child everything necessary to thrive.

Wayne about Chad
Chad is (for me) everything you would want if you could make a list and get it all in one package. He is beautiful, honest, considerate and gentle. He is not a push over. He has his own thoughts and dreams and the drive to make things happen. He is funny. One of my favourite things is to watch him laugh. When he laughs really hard, nothing comes out…just a big open smile and a “wheeze”. It’s so funny! He is by nature both a teacher and a student. He always roots for the underdog and lends a hand to friends and family even when he already has things to do. He seldom complains. Chad is a hero in my eyes. When I look at him, I get emotional thinking about the kind of father he is going to be. I can’t wait to see him give to your child the kind of love and support he has always given me. We will both be blessed.

Chad about Wayne
Wayne is that guy that everyone says, “You should have your own show!” He’s funny (really funny), charming, charismatic and has a huge heart. He’s emotional and sensitive, but strong and insightful. Over this last decade, he’s shown me how to love and how to be loved. He’ll be an amazing dad!  He’s simply great with kids and is truly gifted with babies…they stop crying when he holds them and start to giggle. This is not the case with me, but I’ll learn from the best!

Our Home and Family
We live in a great metropolitan neighbourhood and there are many schools and parks within walking distance. The community is diverse, energized and wonderful.

I have two sisters, two brothers and eight nieces/nephews, who all live in Alberta. We see them two to three times per year and talk/Skype the rest of the time. If I had to describe my family tree two years ago, it would have looked a little different, as we’ve recently had an addition to the family…I’m thrilled to say that my dad and his wife adopted from China. I now have a two-and-a-half-year-old sister. With her, came not only a sister, but also an awareness of how adoption can complete a family. I don’t think of her as my ‘adopted’ sister, she IS my sister. 

Most of Chad’s family lives nearby and he has two sisters and a brother, with whom he is extremely close. He keeps in regular contact with his parents and we visit them as often as possible (although one set of parents now lives in Central America, so we email and call them often).

Joey is our eight-year-old dog…well he’s more like a little boy, trapped in the body of a dog. He’s a small mixed breed and is hypo-allergenic (he has hair, not fur). He’s loving, gentle and about the best dog ever!

Parenting
Parenting is something we don’t take lightly. We deeply value the responsibility and understand that it changes your life. We believe that your child has to be given not simply our love, but also a sense of self worth and the knowledge that we will always be here for them. Life has so much to offer and your child should know that they can do whatever they set out to. Kindness and generosity are belief systems. We would teach consequence but never use any violence or shaming. Treating a child with respect and helping them to learn the best way to make positive choices is a commitment we have made and have sought out tools and examples to follow. We have been blessed with family who exemplify these thoughts and who have shown us what is possible with enough patience and determination.

About Openness
To state the obvious, we’re two men. This means your child will have two dads…and the only mom is, well, you. Therefore, we’re up for openness in lots of forms (letters, emails, visits etc), as long as it’s in the best interest of the child, of course. Both of us come from divorced homes and know what it’s like to have extended families, so to us, the more people to love this child, the better. That said, if you prefer a closed adoption, we understand that as well.

Closing thoughts…
We don’t mind telling you…it’s hard to convey who we are and what we’re about, in such a small space. We think we’d make excellent dads and bring a tremendous amount of love, experience, and opportunity to a child. We just want to be Dads. We want to cuddle your child at night and walk them to school in the morning. We want to watch the first steps and hear the first words. We want to encourage, teach and worry...and we will worry. We want the chance to share our love and commitment, our hopes and everything we've learned so far. We want to parent.

We thank you for your time and hope you’re encouraged to read our home study.

Best,
Wayne and Chad