Today, Dr Darla, our Superkids pediatrician shares about adopting her son Tad.
We met Tad in China and am so pleased to know he is home with such a wonderful family.
I am
thrilled that I have kids of both genders, since I came from a household of all
girls. Boys add a different
dimension! As a pediatrician, I enjoy
seeing both boys and girls. Let me tell you a story of my
youngest son as we come up on the completion of his first year at home.
Our son was listed as having multiple medical problems. In reviewing the file, it was apparent that
all the medical issues were resolved.
His special need was that he was a boy and he was eight. He was in a foster family in China for 7
years. Adoption is a step of faith,
because of the unknowns. Here was our
list of unknowns/worries …
1)
Grief:
We
expected that there may be a lot of grief after leaving his foster family.
It was explained to us that foster care is
really viewed as a temporary solution.
I
don’t know how this is communicated, but we were surprised that we haven’t seen
more sadness yet.
He shares stories of
his family, so we have gotten a glimpse of his life.
2)
Language:
We initially use a translator on our phones and the in-country
interpreter to communicate big concepts.
With our sample size of two adoptions, we are always amazed at how
quickly they learn English. Tad wanted
to start school right away. He went to
school one week after getting home. The
school used the iPad for translation for a couple of weeks (no person available
to interpret) and then he was fine without it.
3)
Life lived:
We were worried about all the life that he had already lived. Older kids come with more baggage. Life in a foster family versus an orphanage
certainly worked to his advantage. He understands
what it means to be in a family and how to build relationships. I am thankful for his foster family who
certainly invested in him.
Tad was listed as clever and
introverted.
The first moment that I met
him as he tip toed through the room like a monkey told me that introvert was
incorrect!
He is full of life, with
boredom being his biggest challenge.
Clever is spot on.
He is a whiz…
at anything he tries.
He was top of the
class in China and now in America.
He
probably knows more than the rest of the family about the 50 states, US
presidents, world geography, etc. He is a precious 9 year old boy.
It isn't always easy, but it isn't always
easy with any of our children.
We are so
glad we took this step of faith.
He is a
blessing to our family!
