Ah, this poor, neglected blog! If you're reading this, thank you for coming back! This is my personal blog, as opposed to my other one, "Is It Hot In Here?" Menopause, Motherhood & More (http://isithotinheremmm.blogspot.com), which I'm TRYING to turn into a money maker.
If you've been reading either blog, you know that I am the proud mother of a little girl who was adopted from China. You can read my family's story here. A few years ago, we had a MASSIVE reunion with about ten families who traveled with my husband to China to pick up their daughters. The reunion was INCREDIBLE! All of the girls got along and the parents got to trade stories about their kids (one fascinating similarity: they are very strong-willed children). And even though we're scattered across the country, my family is fortunate to live within driving distance of two of of those families.
We LOVE seeing the Smiths and Johnsons (not their real names). We get together with them at least once a year. It's lovely that the girls are virtually growing up together and pick up exactly where they left off the last time we all gathered.
It's also crucial that they see other families that look like us.
When we first started meeting, the siblings (who are all biological) would also trade stories, but since two are teenagers and of different sexes, that's not happening as much. The teens are bored; that's tough toenails because this is really about the little ones and the parents.
Our gatherings are low-maintenance. We don't need any kind of fancy sightseeing trips. On our last trip to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, it poured! That was fine because our hotel had an indoor pool (we ALWAYS get an indoor pool) which the girls splashed around in until they were water-logged and tired. They played video games in our room and we ended the weekend with a trip to the mall. For the parents, it's become less of a "comparing notes" session and more the opportunity to just see friends.
My daughter is the ultimate blessing and being able to share our parenting experience with other families who have gone through the adoption process and tackle some of the same issues we do ( such as instilling pride in our daughters' origins and country, some of the questions the girls pose about their births, etc.) has been important to us.
Interracial families are not the anomaly they once were, but they're still not common. Seeing other families who have grown in other ways than by direct genetics is important.
We are so lucky that our family has grown in love thanks to adoption.
If you've been reading either blog, you know that I am the proud mother of a little girl who was adopted from China. You can read my family's story here. A few years ago, we had a MASSIVE reunion with about ten families who traveled with my husband to China to pick up their daughters. The reunion was INCREDIBLE! All of the girls got along and the parents got to trade stories about their kids (one fascinating similarity: they are very strong-willed children). And even though we're scattered across the country, my family is fortunate to live within driving distance of two of of those families.
We LOVE seeing the Smiths and Johnsons (not their real names). We get together with them at least once a year. It's lovely that the girls are virtually growing up together and pick up exactly where they left off the last time we all gathered.
It's also crucial that they see other families that look like us.
When we first started meeting, the siblings (who are all biological) would also trade stories, but since two are teenagers and of different sexes, that's not happening as much. The teens are bored; that's tough toenails because this is really about the little ones and the parents.
Our gatherings are low-maintenance. We don't need any kind of fancy sightseeing trips. On our last trip to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, it poured! That was fine because our hotel had an indoor pool (we ALWAYS get an indoor pool) which the girls splashed around in until they were water-logged and tired. They played video games in our room and we ended the weekend with a trip to the mall. For the parents, it's become less of a "comparing notes" session and more the opportunity to just see friends.
My daughter is the ultimate blessing and being able to share our parenting experience with other families who have gone through the adoption process and tackle some of the same issues we do ( such as instilling pride in our daughters' origins and country, some of the questions the girls pose about their births, etc.) has been important to us.
Interracial families are not the anomaly they once were, but they're still not common. Seeing other families who have grown in other ways than by direct genetics is important.
We are so lucky that our family has grown in love thanks to adoption.
No comments:
Post a Comment