Parenthood
Adoption
In honor of World Adoption Day.
When I first considered adoption I already had 2 biological children. I worried I would not know how to love children I did not carry. I worried they wouldn’t love me. I worried the kids wouldn’t love one another. How do you introduce children into a home where the family was established?
I worried.
Well, it all quickly came together.
We went from a family of 4 to a family of 6 in 9 months time.
We went from 1 talking child to 4 talking children.
We went from 4 loads of laundry a week to 16 loads of laundry a week.
Life
Our world was turned upside down and was all of a sudden spinning faster than ever before. The days went fast, the nights even faster. The grocery shopping became a 2 cart event, and the holidays were louder, longer, and more exciting. Life was in hyper drive, and my senses were heightened. I was constantly counting 1,2,3,4 at every turn. I was truly afraid I would lose one. In all honesty, we did lose one, number 3, she disappeared in a department store. I had 911 entered into my phone, poised to hit ‘send’ when she happily came walking up with a store employee. Right then I knew it, she was mine. I wanted to hug her, and strangle her (not really, but you get the idea), all at the same time. I wanted to cry and jump for joy, while thanking the store employee. Now 14 years down the road the four love each other. They are all in different states, and yet 3 of the 4 are still close. The oldest is on his own life path, but I hope comes back into the fold, and I know when its time his siblings will love him, and welcome him as if no time has passed. When I told my youngest I was going to blog something for world adoption month he told me he forgot I was an adoptive mom. “Mom, they are just my brother and sister. I forgot you adopted them. I do not remember them not being around”, the youngest said. That makes sense, you see he was 18 months old when the 2 were adopted, he really has no recollection. The family is what it is, even if it has changed forms over the years, the core is the same. The adopted ones, are the same as the biological ones. They equally have driven me insane, I love them equally, they equally love each other, and they equally love me.
They are my kids. I am their mom. Parenthood has nothing to do with genetics, it all had to do with love.