Time and time again I am blown away by the adoption community. I have no idea of the birthing community is the same or not. But the friendship, support and camaraderie we have encountered on this journey is amazing.
And much needed. During the wait, and definitely afterwards as well.
I found emotional support and information about the process from other bloggers, members of our support group, other adoptive families, message boards, Facebook groups, and of course, friends and family. We still network with those groups as we navigate the challenges of being a family.
So it feels really great to pass our knowledge on to others! A few days ago I chatted with a woman I met about 6 months ago. I met her through Craigs.list when we were searching for all the baby stuff we needed before LM came home. This sweet lady already had three little wigglers (she also had the cutest Amy Coe bedset that I purchased from her!) and she asked how old my child was. This led to me sharing that we were waiting for our son to come home. And she shared that she and her husband had been considering adoption when she became pregnant with #3. It was a really nice conversation and I remember feeling warm and fuzzy that a stranger could be so genuinely happy for our adoption.
She had kept our original email exchange and contacted me because adoption is still in her family's heart. They are just starting the process and she's reaching out to people she knows who have experience with adoption to try and make some decisions.
It just made my heart so full to share our experience. It wasn't long ago we were in her place, and struggling with the hows and what ifs in choosing adoption. We know that it can be a difficult process, and are so thankful that we can help others as we were helped.
This is another part of being an adoptive family that I hadn't really considered. You become a representative of the process, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing at times. But I like being a resource for others. Its a payback to the adoption world for all the help and support we've received along the way.
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Need a little support on your adoption journey? Thought this was a nice idea.
Friends for Adoption
You are paired with another person going through the same journey and encourage one another. Each month you send something small (under $15) which could be a gift, card, etc. Just something to help one another survive the wait, the ups and the downs.
Don't you love the adoption community?
I heart them too! I do think it is a tighter group than the "birthing" community. When it was just us and our bio kid, there was some mutual understanding between us and other parents, but pregnancy is so temporary and being an adoptive family is a stronger identity for me somehow. The adoptive mentor idea is awesome. I agree that it does feel good to support others headed down the same path.
ReplyDeleteThat's great that she reached out to you! :) I completely agree with the adoption community, it has been a life line and has created friendships that I wouldn't have otherwise. Hugs! Hope you're doing well!
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