A little more than half a year ago the large family of the governor of the Tver Region, Dmitry Zelenin, grew even larger: The Zelenins adopted a child, Roma.

They always do everything together in this family, whether it’s sports, studies, or leisure. Even the governor, despite his great business, always finds time to spend with his children. His wife, for most people living in Tver not only the governor’s wife, but also the president of the charitable fund Dobroe Nachalo, is the mother with the capital "M" of her children—careful and affectionate. And this is not at all a damning picture of a monarchical family. And the adding an adopted child to their household is the extra proof of that: The heart of a child from a children’s home can hardly be bought by the luxury or status of the adults.

The decision to adopt a child into the family was discussed by Zelenins, by adults and children alike, at the family council.

Then the adoption went through at the Tver children’s home eight months ago. According to the mistress of the house, Alla, the couple began to think of adopting a child a long time ago. But on the eve of the new century the young family had enough other cares: their elder daughter Alina was born in 1997, two years later Galya drew the first breath, and in 2001 the Zelenins’ heir Artem was born. The idea of adoption became more real when the governor’s wife became the president of the charitable fund and began to visit children’s houses and asylums.

"We always wanted to have many children in the house," says Alla. "And when visiting children’s houses became a part of my job, I realized that I was ready to undertake the responsibility for one more child. I understood that I would be able to give a mother’s love to a little, lonely human being."

I asked Alla how difficult it is to admit an adopted child to one’s heart. She did not deny that such a step required a lot of mental work for her. Additional difficulties also arose with the legal side of the matter: According to the existing laws in Russia, a mother, even if she abandoned a child, is not deprived of parental rights, and may reclaim a child at any time. It took time to deal with this problem.

Alla supposes that, in many ways, she was helped by the school for adoptive parents, where future fathers and mothers are explained all ins and outs of communication with adopted children. She has attended the school for several months.

"Of course we had doubts: Will we be able to love the boy as much as our own children? These doubts especially showed themselves when we had to make the final decision. But my husband supported me, he said we would do all we can," she recalls. "It is also important that our children and parents supported me."

They also could not choose the child immediately: future adoptive mothers chose, as Alla says, with their souls. When they finally adopted a boy, he found himself in the new family, but habits from his orphan life still came to the surface for a long time. As with many children deprived of one of the most important things in their lives, parental love, Roma was behind in his development. He did not even try to speak, and he was nervous and kept himself to himself. When everyone was at dinner the boy began to cry loudly if no plate was before him. He was afraid to sleep alone at night, and he often awoke and cried. He also sucked his thumb all the time. "Nobody’s" children often behave in such a way.

Of course, the lion’s share of ensuring the social adaptation of Roma fell on the mother’s shoulders. It’s not surprising that Roma quickly understood who the main person in his life is. Now, when Alla leaves home he delays her moment of departure as long as he can, pulling her clothes and stomping his feet. One can easily predict Roma’s first word: "mother," of course. And he spoke it within a few weeks of being placed with his family.

"Apparently nature itself has put into the human soul two places—for father and mother," Alla says. "It so happened that in Roma’s soul they were free for us."

The boy’s ability to form a relationship with his new father was more difficult: men seemed to Roma to be creatures from another planet because of their full absence in the children’s house. But mutual friendship and love have come. Now Roma likes to play with his father, and they like to look through books together. Little communicative traditions have also appeared: Every time when they meet the little boy mannishly shakes his dad’s hand.

Despite his business, Dmitry Zelenin always tries to spend holidays with his family. Traditionally it’s the father who checks and signs the home-school books of elder children, and he designs his working schedule so he can attend children’s fests. And the governor’s family even goes out for relaxation in the fashionable Courchevel together. This year they left only Roma at home: He is too little to master mountain skiing. But in the next ski season they already plan to take him to the mountains.

Alla says that, after the boy’s relatives were found, Roma began to grow both physically and intellectually, as a spring flower warmed by the sun. It shows in his height and weight, and the healthy glow of his cheeks. Moreover, the little boy not only began to speak, but began to slowly learn letters with elder children. By the way, the other Zelenin children admitted him at once to their team, as they say. They not only play with him, but also help him discover the surrounding world. Elder children are sure that their brother is the cleverest and the most beautiful little boy in the world, because he relishes every moment, and the new things shown to him are extremely interesting to him.

Everything seems to be as in an ordinary family at the Zelenin house. But it took the adults a lot of effort to make things happen in such a way. Now the Zelenins hope their example will become infectious. Adoption is a complex process in the Tver Region, as it is in all of Russia. More than 2,000 abandoned boys and girls are waiting for their mothers and fathers in Tver. But only about 100 lucky children find parents every year. Foreign parents adopt approximately the same number. And, according to the statistics, people from the country and/or with small incomes are more likely to adopt. The Russians whose purses would make it easier for them to adopt are often reluctant.

By Marina Nikitina