There are days when I turn on the computer or open a newspaper, and tears immediately begin to well in my eyes. I don’t know if I’m being hormonal or what, but some days I’m just a maudlin, sentimental wreck. I was when I saw these two pictures in a story about “National Adoption Day.”
Look at mom’s smile. It’s huge, it’s ecstatic. I love that she dressed up for the occasion, and that she dressed up her daughter as well. I love the pink dress with the bow, the giant flower ring, the mascara, everything. Look at how she wraps her body around her daughter. And the expression on the little girl’s face? It just kills me. It’s a smile of joy, and of wonder, of knowing that something very important she might not completely understand is happening. But what she must know is that someone loves her with her whole heart – it’s writ large in her beautiful little face, and in mom’s unstoppable smile.
And then there’s this lovely picture. The boy’s short, slicked hair, his sweater vest, the plaid shirt: he looks like he stepped out of 1955. He knows it’s a big day. He’s old enough to know that the man sitting behind him is proud to be his father. The boy looks like he’s trying very hard to make sure he signs in his very best handwriting, and dad looks on, giving him his space, but carefully watching to make sure his son fills everything out correctly. The boy looks eager not to make a mistake, as if some clerical error could take away his father. But it won’t. The man has made it official: I want you to be part of my life in the biggest way possible.
These two children now know that whatever happened with their biological parents has nothing to do with whether they are lovable or not.
I was feeling so touched and sad and happy when I saw these pictures and read the article that a flash of a thought passed through my mind: when our children are grown and out of the house, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to let some other child know that he or she is very wanted. Maybe we could adopt. It was just a fleeting thought, of course.
Like I said, it must be that time of the month.
This reminds me a sort of discussion (close to an argument) that I had with the friend of a friend, who just had children. I was single, no children, but they were talking about motherhood, and I brought adoption to the topic -if I ever set up a non-governmental org, it’d be ‘No child without childhood’ She said ‘adopting is not the same, they’re not yours’ That really infuriated me. Needless to say the conversation didn’t end well.