Meet Mara and Jonnie

Brothers and sisters wait on average 11 months longer for their forever home so we are always looking for prospective adopters to consider adopting more than one child.  To help prospective adopters understand more about the real brothers and sisters in our care, and who are in need of a forever home, here we profile four-year-old twins Mara and Jonnie.

As four-year-old twins they not only share the same birthday, but the close brother and sister don’t like being separated, love playing together and enjoy being the centre of attention. The twins look quite different – Jonnie is described as ‘tall and blonde’, while Mara is ‘petite with strawberry-blonde hair’ and they also have quite different personalities, likes and dislikes.

Meet Jonnie

Jonnie’s blue eyes light up when he’s happy, and you can tell instantly how he’s feeling from his eyes alone. Described as an energetic little boy who loves to sing and dance.  Jonnie is extremely loving and affectionate, and he loves his cuddles and kisses.

Jonnie can struggle to share his toys, especially if he hasn’t had a good night’s sleep (he’s a big fan of sleeping!) but he responds really well, to positive reinforcement for good behaviour. Jonnie also thrives on praise and being told that people are proud of him.

As a creative little boy, Jonnie loves imaginary play, and his favourite settings are kitchens, ice cream parlour and trains.  Jonnie loves to run around, play on his scooter, play football and he loves to have a story read to him. Jonnie loves to play with other children, but he can become a bit too boisterous, so he needs some guidance from adults.

Jonnie’s favourite tv programme is Big Cook Little Cook and he loves watching Milkshake on Channel 5 when he gets ready but will generally watch most things.

Jonnie loves his sleep and will sleep for 12 hours a night.  He has a Billy Bear which he likes to sleep with, but he loves to wake up more and is bright and ready for the day once morning comes.

There are no concerns about his health, and Jonnie is a good eater and likes to eat Weetabix, Coco Pops or Kraves and toast and butter for breakfast – although he’s not a fan of pancakes! He does worry about when he is next having food, but he now has a good, varied diet with his foster carer and he loves vegetables and fruit.

Meet Mara

Mara is a smiley little girl with a beautiful simile and strawberry blonde hair which she likes to wear in pigtails. Mara has lovely blue eyes and a fair complexion and is full of personality and individuality.

Mara is always first to say hello to people she meets, and her confidence means she is very sociable.  She is currently learning about stranger danger which she is responding to well.

Mara loves to play with her toys and has a wonderful imagination and likes to include others in whatever game she is playing. Like her brother Jonnie, Mara is a big fan of singing. Mara is a very strong little girl, but she can sometimes become emotional and upset, and she can also show she is anxious by picking her lips and fingers. This little girl has an infectious personality and will always make you laugh.

As an active little girl, she loves to run around, twirl around and jump. Mara has lots of toys and her favourite ones to play with are dolls.  She particularly loves kitchens and her pink car. Mara’s favourite day would be visiting a farm or zoo with a picnic, and she loves animals. Mara likes to stay near adults making them participate in all her activities and loves a walk holding their hand.

At tea-time her favourite food is pasta, Bolognese is her current favourite, then chocolate cake for dessert.

Mara can be quite anxious and is under the care of an eye clinic but is otherwise a healthy little girl.  She is a good eater and sleeper, and her development is on par with other girls her age.

The twins’ background

There was a lot of worries around how Jonnie and Mara’s needs were met at home because living conditions were not felt to be sanitary.  There were worries around how the children were cared for and how this impacted on their behaviour. There were also concerns over potential physical abuse. As a result of this trauma the children can lash out or freeze, but they are responding very well to structure, routine and positive reinforcement and their foster carer has seen a huge reduction in challenging behaviour.

Find out more

We are looking to keep these brothers together through adoption.  If you think you could provide a safe and loving home for children like Ryan and Alex complete our enquiry form here or email us at adoptcoasttocoast@durham.gov.uk

Read all about the benefits of adopting siblings in our article here. 

*names and images have been changed for safeguarding reasons.