Another Adoption Talk

We had an “adoption talk” at our house tonight.

It all started with a little plastic model of a 10-week old fetus, one of those that we commonly used in our crisis pregnancy center back in the States. Eva ran across it, and being a lover of all things sweet and tiny, asked if she could play with the little “doll.” I explained that it wasn’t exactly a doll but that she could play with it for awhile.

When she asked what it was, I said it was a little baby the size it could be inside its mommy’s tummy and that we used it for helping mommies and babies. She pressed for more information (did I mentioned that she woke me up from a nap for this deep conversation?) and I explained that sometimes some of the mommies we helped thought they did not want their babies and we taught them to love their babies and take care of them. “Why wouldn’t they want the babies, Mommy?” (Isn’t innocence a precious thing!) And I shared that sometimes they are just very young, and don’t feel ready to be a mommy yet.

Fast forward to an hour or so later, when Eva told me that sometime when I was helping mommies and babies, I should bring one home! “You mean a baby? … I can’t do that, but we are bringing home our twins,” I reminded her. That made her smile, and something she said made me realize she thought they didn’t have a mommy and daddy. I explained that they do have a birthmother and birthfather, just like she does, only in Haiti there is not enough food and the twins’ birth parents want them to have food and a family and safety … so because they love their babies, they are choosing to give them a family through adoption who can provide those things.

One question led to another, and Eva wanted to know where her birth parents live; whether hers or Isabel’s or Owen’s birth parents knew Jesus; what exactly are “wrong choices” … etc … It was an interesting scenario, since by this time all three kids were in the kitchen with me and hanging on every word! But I think it was yet another positive conversation where we focused on how God loves us so much that no matter what we do, He will always forgive us and we can always come back to Him, and that He makes everything turn out for good for those who love Him, and that ultimately He is the One who made our family just the way it is.

I’ve learned that these adoption talks are seldom planned, but always interesting, and I just hope when it’s all said and done that I have responded well and that my children feel affirmed about how much they are loved and how much God cares for them …