The BIG Question

We were sitting down to lunch yesterday and as soon as Adam and I get bites in our mouths Luci asks, “Daddy, am I adopted or did I come from my mommy’s tummy?  Cause a lot of my friends are saying I’m adopted.”

If I had been eating something that required a fork I’m sure I would have dropped it. I’m just glad it was food and not drink in my mouth at the time. 

We both froze and then turned to look at each other. I was glad for the “Daddy” part of the question because, at the time, I wasn’t ready for it. My mind cleared. My heart skipped a beat. All of the things I had planned to say packed up and went on vacation.

We’ve talked to Luci a lot about the fact that God had her grow in someone else’s belly. That she’s Guatemalan. That Mommy was adopted too.

I still wasn’t ready for the question because I wasn’t sure where Luci’s thoughts were at the moment. She has a HUGE, tender heart and I wasn’t sure if she was worried about being “different” or if she thought it was neat.  I know it was hard for me to really process the idea when I was little. It made me wonder WHAT these other kids had said to her.

Needless to say we were very honest with her about the fact that she was born in Guatemala, that God brought her to us and that she and I share that special bond. We also talked about the other children in the church that we know who are adopted.  These are all things we’ve talked about before but I finally saw the *click* in her mind over the weekend (we had a theology conference at church and one of the speakers focused on adoption). I really should have seen it coming.

She’s cool with the idea of being adopted. She asked my BF’s youngest last night at dinner if he was adopted too. Then she went on and on about how she was from Guatemala and that it was very far away. I’m sure there’s more roller coaster emotions to come. Lots more questions too. Especially as we continue in the adoption process. I’m so glad that in moments when I freeze that Adam is calm. It always amazes me at how balanced we are and how God has given both of us different experiences and wisdom so that we can always handle a situation as needed.