Adoption Conference & Happy Mother's Day to me!!

Mike & I attended our first adoption conference sponsored by New Beginnings Adoption Agency. It was a full day of workshops and panel discussions covering a variety of adoption related issues. Just to give you an idea, we attended the following workshops and/or panel discussions:

1. Health & Developmental Issues for children adopted abroad
2. When ages & stages don't match up
3. Adoptive Fathers' Panel
4. Teen Panel
5. Transition from an Orphanage to a Home

What did we get out of it:

Prepare! Prepare! Prepare!

Educating ourselves about the the many areas of International adoption will better prepare us for that very special day. No, it will not prepare us to be parents. As Linda always says "Children do not come with guides!"

Preparation through pre-china immunizatons for Hep A & B, Tetanus, Dytheria, to name a few must be done, in addition to referral and pre-travel evaluations. It is also the time to prepare ourselves with the knowledge that our child may be developmentally delayed physically, mentally, and emotionally. It is very possible that our child will need to play catch up for a little while.

While these things may appear as obstacles to some, I see them as opportunities. Opportunities to get to know our child, grow with her, nurture her, as well as bond with her.

The Fathers' and Teen panels allowed us to see adoption from two different perspectives. The fathers' did not hold back and neither did the group of prospective parents in the room. It was a great honest exchange of questions and answers. The teen panel showed us that although trans-culturally adopted children may appear different on the outside, they are just regular kids with an alternative family setting. Teasing in school was no different for them then it was for us. Knowing where they came from was a desire for some but not for all. And knowing where they came from wasn't always about their birth parents but more about wanting to know about their birth country. Supporting these desires is important.

There was one key point I heard again and again. We, as the adoptive parents, are not in competition with the birth parents. Different sets of circumstances will bring all of us together the day our child becomes a part of our family. These circumstances can not be ignored but must be explained over time in age appropriate terms with the understanding that we, as parents, may not always have the answers. I am okay with that. For me, it just solidified my desire to go this route in becoming a family. For Mike, the conference gave him a better understanding of International Adoption. It also gave us the opportunity to discuss our own feelings about these issues. Mike & I will be receiving such a gift and I firmly believe that this is God's plan for us.

So with that I say Happy Mother-to be-Mother's Day to me!!! To Tara!! To all my paper pregnant friends and all you mothers out there!!! Happy Mother's Day!!!(Thanks to Tara And Linda for reminding me of my paper pregnancy with beautiful Mother-to-be cards)