June 17, 2018
“Father’s Day for me is an occasion for gratitude.” - Grant Christoff, Legal Counsel
Father’s Day for me is an occasion for gratitude, because nine years ago – through adoption – my wife and I, then both in our early 40s, realized our dream of expanding our family. It was on April 15 that we (my wife, then-eight-year-old daughter from my first marriage, and I) received the thrilling news that a baby boy was going to be placed with us. We believed then, and still believe, that he chose us and we chose him. After the three of us travelled from our home in Vancouver to Vancouver Island to bring him home, met his birth mother and heard her reasons for choosing adoption (she wanted to graduate from high school – which she eventually did – and she wanted better opportunities for her child, within a First Nations family), we were even more assured that he belonged with us.
I grew up in northern BC around my mother’s friends and relatives; she made sure we were proud of and rooted in our (Cree) heritage while my late father (a Bulgarian) taught me to hunt and fish, and instilled in me a love for the North. Through my son, I now have the good fortune and responsibility of becoming more familiar with the culture and history of his Nation on the West Coast of Vancouver Island, and am committed to ensuring that he too is grounded in his/our heritage. We spend as much time as we can in both places, and have established friendships with his birth mother and her family, who always love to see him and how well he is doing. I am grateful for the opportunity to provide for my children, ensure that they know they are loved, and prepare them as best I can for this journey of life. I try to set a good example of working hard, making healthy choices, and maintaining balance. My wish for them as a father is that they have a solid foundation and opportunities to enjoy good lives, whatever they may choose to do. I am especially grateful this year as I will be celebrating Father’s Day with a daughter graduating high school and a son graduating Grade 3!
I wish all other Indigenous fathers, grandfathers and father figures a great Father’s Day.
Next: more FNHA fathers’ stories!
