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I remember in school my sister (also adopted) took Home Ec Class, the part about babies and such came up. Everyone had to bring their baby books and pictures as a newborn. This was part of an assignment. Another part of the assignment was a questionnaire about your birth. Being adopted makes getting your birth details a little hard. My sister tried to tell the teacher that she could not do the assignment and then the teacher said she would then receive a failing grade for the assignment. My mom had to write a note to the teacher explaining that she was adopted, so she... more

This thought holds intense feelings, beliefs and strong emotions by everyone involved with adoption. Could this be a child’s way of denial? Is it an embarrassment?

Children want one thing, not to be different and to fit in with everyone else. So, when being labeled as being adopted, it can make this very difficult. I do not think it has to do with any of the questions above, I think it has more to do with the child, him or herself. I remember as a child that my mom made statements or it came up in conversation with people on several occasions that we were adopted while we were present in the room. It really bothered me to hear my most private personal thing flow... more

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So to me it is not luck, chance, are the way things happen, it was the purpose of our lives, we just had to find our way to each other. This wonderful nurse had a special needs son at home so she did understand A. more and really connected to her. She was our nurse when she worked and A. called when she said good bye to her when it was time to leave. Milly (our nurse) also got teary eyed and told A. that she was the best and her favorite patient that she has ever had.

It is still so strange is see people react to adoption and the wide range of emotions it brings out in people. To me adoption is a very precious gift that some are blessed to experience and... more

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From this point on, this lady was very different with A. She was very kind but still somewhat reserved, but she always made a point to talk to her when she came into the room. She would tell her how pretty she was, and that her curly hair was beautiful. I sit wondering late that night long after she had went home, “Why did A. being adopted affect her and seem to bother her?” I wondered if adoption had been part of her past, she seemed to have such a hard time saying the word “adopt” I wandered if she had been a birth mother that had to give up her child. After our talk about A. adoption... more

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I could tell she was dying to ask me something when she was listening to the nurse talk to me about adoption. Finally after taking the biggest part of the day, she came in to bring extra linens for my daughter and then started tidy up (really just moving things around). She had her back to me and asked if she could ask me a question. I responded yes. She asked, “Why would you do it?” To me a strange question and what was “it”. Okay, I kind of knew she was talking about adoption, but to say “it” and to phrase the question like that, kind of ruffled me. Adoption is not an “it” neither is my daughter an “it”. I responded, “Do what?” She said, “Why would you take... more

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We had male and female nurses with a wide age range and it was interesting how they all related and reacted to adoption. Everyone seem to bring it up when they first came in, by asking medical questions, and it was kind of funny to see some people relate openly about it and then others you could tell were fighting to ask questions, occasionally some would, and then others would have to build up their nerve to ask. I did find that the younger (thirty years or below) seemed to be more accepting and open about being adopted. They also were more open about want and trying to interact with... more

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Jello turned out to be a big battle with the staff and my daughter, finally an ER nurse suggested boiled egg whites for her and she could just swallow them. They worked great and she loved them, but Jello was still what they were pushing on her. So, for every nurse, it was an uphill battle to get her egg whites. I kept telling them, she will still be here when she is 21 years old if you think she is not leaving until she eats Jello. My husband had to go to the hospital management to handle the problem. I was just too tired to fight every nurse that walked through the door. Management... more

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I explained that my daughter was born addicted to drugs and she was born two and half months premature. I explained that she does have some issues from her rough start in life, she struggles with toilet training, things have to be very structured for her. She has great difficultly when things change, she is very hyper and has issues with textures and foods. I think it was a little more than the lady had bargained for and was taken aback with her issues.

She asked, “What do we need to do for her and how can we deal with her? I guess she is what you call a picky eater. She will... more

When my four year old adopted daughter A and I were hospitalized, the being adopted became of interest to others. It was very enlightening to watch people’s responses, the questions that were asked, things people said, and how some acted. When you are quarantined in a room for a week with your daughter and you have a lot of time watching and interacting with people you can learn a lot. Especially, when cartoons are the only things on the television to calm my daughter:).

Our hospital is a small country hospital. It is one of the top 100 in the USA, so I feel it was a very good hospital. We were placed in a private room (it is all they have), so my bed had to placed into a pediatric... more

What a week it has been. I had been sick with my four year old daughter for several days and getting worse. We got an appointment to our doctor, after being unable to eat anything for four days and drinking very minimal amounts. The doctor took one look at us, placed us in the hospital. At this point we were in a lot of pain, I was only concerned about how long in the hospital and that my daughter and I would be kept together. We live an hour and half away from our hospital, so my husband would have to care for our other children.

The stay in the hospital was supposed to be overnight, we were released a week later. Everyday we spent was worth it, when you have blisters from... more