In case you missed it, it’s National Adoption Month. I’m a little bit OCD, and I tend to get obsessed with words. The word “adoption” is something that I am constantly fixated on because it’s a huge part of my life.
My wife and I adopted our baby from birth, just over nine years ago. Yet, if I'm being honest, until we made the decision to adopt, the word “adoption” had a stigma to it. But why?
There was something about knowing that my child wouldn’t have my DNA that made it feel different to me.
And if we’re all honest with ourselves, you feel the same, don’t you?
Short answer: It doesn’t
I’m not saying that there’s a need to ignore the fact that my child is adopted. We talk about it all the time. He has questions and we try to have answers, but it does not define who he is.
And it does not define who we are. We are his parents. He is our son. Period. Saying we are his "adoptive parents" and he is our "adoptive son" is an unnecessary qualification.
The majority of you reading this have biological children. Have you ever felt the need to tell other people that this is your biological child? No. This is your child.
We still live in a society where, in TV and movies and in real life, we find it acceptable to make a joke where a brother convinces his sister that “she’s adopted.” Or when a family member embarrasses another family member, they say, “You’re adopted.” I suppose as long as we feel that it’s acceptable to make these jokes, then we need to have a National Adoption Month to remind the world that families are often made in unconventional ways.
So, happy National Adoption Month, everyone
I really wish we didn’t have to have this month, but I suppose if 12 months out of the year are designated for biological children, we should get at least one month to celebrate!
