Adopt Some Awareness!

This issue has come up twice within a few days and it made me think, I should share this with others.

I have two nieces who are adopted from China, and joined our family at age one.  My nieces are so immersed in our family that I don't think about them being "adopted" they are just our family and a part of our tribe!    Their mom, my sister in law shared recently that questions have started to come up around their adoption from their kids (which they are well prepared for and manage appropriately based on their age, etc...).   I first thought to myself, I need to know more and be better informed about adoption because I am so busy parenting my kids, I have not informed myself on what to know, etc...  The only thing I knew from day one, is that I love these girls as they entered our family, and in my home, they would never be treated in any other way but family (and that is the case)!  

What I did not give thought to (maybe I didn't want to because I don't want them to think this way) is that they each do have deep feelings about their adoption and they also have very different perspectives.        A girlfriend of mine that has 4 children, 1 domestic adoption, 2 international and 1 biological child shared the same thing on face book just yesterday, how her 2 daughters, view their adoption completely differently (one says she has 2 mom's, a biological and then mom) and the other insists she only has one mom and that is "mom"!  

It all makes sense, but I think we all live in a silo (you know, we are doing the best we can do to raise our own families, and love our extended family too!

So, HIPP moms, if you have friends or family with adopted children, after seeing this issue come up within a few days of each other, I thought it was worthy to post and remind us all to adopt awareness as we interact with our HIPP friends!

For me and my family, we don't even think about it, because while they "look different" as my son had asked me about, they are our family and the story behind the process is heart warming and changes the history of this family tree in a very blessed way.

I am so blessed to be "Auntie Pam" and our kids, well they are all part of just one tribe!

Have a HIPP day!!!!