Bianca

Bianca (she)

Her partner (she)

Her son (he, 16 years old)

Her daughter (she, 17 years old)

Region: Montreal

Blended family, lesbian parenting, intergenerational, adoption, child with special needs, neurodiversity, intersectionality, BIPOC

Bianca founded her family project with her ex-spouse through the adoption of their two children, all from Afro-descendant origins. Bianca now lives with her 16-year-old autistic son and her new partner. They work together to better meet his specific needs, including being a neurodiverse person.

Bianca’s family and her new partner have formed a blended and intergenerational family. Her mother lives with them in a separate dwelling unit in their house. After having shared custody of her two children, Bianca now has sole custody of her son so that she can provide him with much-needed stability and consistency. Her reality as a parent of a child with special needs brings its share of daily challenges and adaptations (appointments for multiple professional follow-ups, issues of access to services, his need for stimulation and increased social participation, a schedule for daily routines, decision fatigue and mental workload) that affect all family members. This reality is also intertwined with that of living in a multicultural, bilingual, and lesbian parented family. Even if Bianca can count on the support of her spouse and her mother for her son, it is not uncommon for her to have to refuse invitations to outings in order to be able to take care of the latter. Bianca has reason to be proud of her family’s resilience, their gratitude for joyful moments, their courage, and their ability to adapt; all of this makes them remarkable beings who come together in their uniqueness!