When I hold hands with my biological children, we match....when I hold hands with my adopted children, we don't match
When I fill out a medical history for my biological children, I can provide lots of information...when I fill out a medical history for my adopted children, there are lots of blanks
My adopted children have suffered a great loss...my biological children have not
My biological children are growing up in the country of their birth...my adopted children are not
My adopted children do not live with their birth families....my biological children do
No matter how much I try to pretend it's not so, they are different. Now, you are probably thinking...DUH! I could have told her that...but it is different to know something in your head and to feel it in your heart! As much as I know they are different, I want to protect them from the reality of being different.
Last week, I was in a situation that made me feel "left out, unwanted, alone". I tried to explain it to people, but no one could really get the hurt place I was coming from or the depth of the emotions I was feeling. As I was praying (and having a bit of a pity party), I realized this is how my adopted children feel...not every minute, not even every day, but, at times, this is how they feel even if they are too young to put it into words. And, guess what....it's not just a feeling, it is REALITY! No matter how noble the situation that made them part of our family, there was a time when they were left behind, alone, and possibly unwanted. That realization stopped me in my tracks.
Please pray for me that I will parent from this realization!
