So what did this hypocrite of a mother do today? She took her kids to meet a perfect stranger at the park. Great lesson right? I do it quite often. Sometimes we even drive 3-4 hours away to have lunch or dinner with people we have never met BUT (and this is a big BUT) all of these strangers have, or are, in the process of adopting from China so every single inch of their past has been probed, dissected, and regurgitated.
A few months ago our social worker emailed me to see if she could put us in touch with another family who were just starting out on their adoption journey. I said yes, we emailed, we chatted and today we met at the park.
Before we left I told the girls that we had a play date and they wanted to know with whom, so I told them we've never met. How many children was the next question. My answer, 2 boys. BOYS, came back the mortified reply, BOYS? Yes I said, 2 boys. Lily was not impressed so Rosie decided she shouldn't be either. To make matters worse I had to stop at the mall on the way there. I was really scoring high points with Lily today. I buttered her up a bit and off we went. We arrived within minutes of each other and as is always the case, we were like old friends instantly and those BOYS, well they were the best thing since sliced bread. All 4 kids played and played. They ran, jumped, hung like monkeys, hid, threw frisbees and balls, got scraped and bruised and laughed so much. In fact when it was time to leave they were all quite disgruntled. These boys and their Mum are just great. Another friendship has been forged through a common thread, adoption. I love that. Now we have to wait for a special little girl to join her family....waiting, waiting.
"N" he's 10 and full of energy, just like Lily.
Rose, Lily, "A" and "N". "A" is 8
This zip line thingy kept them occupied for ages.
Rosie, showing that she can do everything the big kids do
Goofy girl swinging herself.
The funniest part of the day: finding out that the boys were mortified at the thought of going to play at the park with 2 GIRLS.
Listen up kidlets, SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO LISTEN TO YOUR MOTHERS.
4 comments:
You're right. We do talk to our children about strangers. Don't talk to any person you don't know. Don't talk to someone even if they tell you they need help.
And then, off we go, talking to total strangers. Why? Because if they're going through or have gone through an international adoption, they've got pretty high clearances. In fact, a few years ago, Jolene & I went off to the GWCA CNY event in Orlando together. We barely knew each other but for the dinners/luncheons. We got very friendly from that experience. While in Orlando, we were talking with Lori & a few other moms. "You know. I don't really know you, but you've had an FDLE so I feel safe leaving my child with you for a few minutes."
We talk in acronyms that only we know the meaning of. We've all had the same experience of having just about every part of our lives picked apart. You must be okay. I do worry though about the day we meet someone who has gone through it all but has gone bonkers after the clearance comes through.
Oy! One more thing for me to obsess about! (Just what I need.)
Wait until the day when all they care about is boys......then who'll be mortified???
Val: I refuse to even think about it! Egads
Bwahahaha!!! The last part of your post is priceless!
And yes, I think we tend to feel "safer" with people who are in the process or have adopted, since they have to pass so many clearances and hurdles. But we still should not let our guard down.
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