Nine Fun Facts About My Adoption
Orignally published December 8, 2013.
A friend asked me to participate in the latest Facebook thing which is "tell us (some number) fun facts about your pregnancy/adoption." I tossed off a few things thinking nothing of it, and had a huge response. So, I'm posting them here as well. It occurs to me they give a bit of context about how this all came to be. And, we're snowed in, so there's not much else to do.
Before I became a foster parent, I explored having kids biologically. Shopping for sperm online weirded me out, and it takes quite a bit to weird me out. A friend who had worked for my state's Department of Human Services suggested fostering before I adopted. God bless her, because I wouldn't have thought of it otherwise.
My adopted kids were my first foster kiddos. It's pretty unusual for a new foster parent to be able to adopt her very first foster placement. About 70% of foster kids in Oklahoma (my state) are returned to their biological parents.
My girls arrived on the same day in February 2008, and my middle child had so many meltdowns that first day that she was re-classified as a therapeutic foster child and sent to a therapeutic foster home less than 24 hours after arriving at my home.
My son arrived in June 2008. I got a call asking me if I'd like the girls' brother, because his foster home was being closed down due to confirmed abuse. When I couldn't leave work immediately to pick him up (I was doing a strategy session for 30 people!), they dropped him at my daycare. The poor baby was three years old and was wearing the only clothes he owned, had no familiar toys, and two shoes that were both left-footed and different sizes. My oldest daughter was at the daycare, but had no idea he was coming. She walked up and re-introduced herself, and he eventually realized she was his sister. That scene in The Blindside where the main character meets his brother in a restaurant? Yeah, that stuff actually happens.
I had to get special permission to become a Therapeutic Foster Parent, because I worked outside the home, and Therapeutic Foster Children need more care than your run of the mill foster children, so you're really supposed to be at home with them when they're not at school. I completed additional training so that my middle child could come back to my home. We finally got her back July 4, 2009. She's my little firecracker!
My son's biological dad's rights were terminated by the time my son arrived at my home, but the kids' biological mom and the girls' biological dad went to court to defend their parental rights and requested a jury trial. While we were waiting to pick the jury, the mom's attorney asked me to speak with the kids' mom, which I thought was just absurd, because she really hated me and blamed me for her not having her kids. I spent the most focused 1 1/2 hours of my life calmly speaking with her across a conference table with the sheriff's deputy and her attorney sitting beside her, and afterwards she relinquished her rights in front of the judge. She was worried that the kids would hate her if she relinquished. Among other things I reassured her that I didn't encourage them to hate her. I explained that we talked about her not being prepared to be a healthy parent and making some really poor choices, but that hating her would not help the kids. That was the only time in my life I have felt God speak through me. (And, no you won't see me reference God often. When I do, I mean it.) The girls' dad asked me if he could give the kids to me, after he'd chatted with me on the first day, seen photos, and knew they were happy. I have tremendous respect for the girls' dad, because he could have easily given up rights since he was in prison, but he fought for their welfare the hardest.
My son is named after his biological father (who promptly abandoned him), and he's not the only kid the biological father named after himself. Thankfully, his first name fits him better than any other name I could come up with, and he's definitely made it his own.
I postponed my wedding and move to a different city, because the adoption took six months longer than the drop dead date that my state's Department of Human Services gave me. When it finally happened in September 2010, I immediately started job searching, re-planning my wedding, and looking for a house in our new city. I got a job and relocated that following March, and I got married in April. In between, I found out i was pregnant for the first time (at 41!) and miscarried at 10 weeks, a week before my wedding. My middle child was institutionalized for the first time that July. It's been a big few years.
A ridiculous number of people got us to the point we are now. My friend, Jilian, bailed me out when my middle kiddo got kicked out of daycare. She hooked us up at the Boys & Girls Club, which were really the only ones who would take my daughter after she was kicked out for behavior. If not for them, I wouldn't have been able to keep the kids and keep my job. Lots of other foster/adoptive parents who I met through support groups and who now support me via a Facebook group we've created answered lots of questions and kept me from losing my mind. My co-workers gave me a foster parent shower. I have a couple of dear foster/adoptive parent friends who take my "no one in the world but you will understand this" calls. My mom and sister took care of me and my three kids when I had to have emergency surgery. My friend, Laura, is the Executive Director of the Oklahoma Therapeutic Foster Care Association and a consultant nationally, so she's a huge resource. And, my friend Lori Cain, met us in a snow storm so we could buy the house we live in now, even though she'd never even met me at that point. It takes a village, people. Please feel free to post your own foster/adoption experiences here!
Connected
Originally published November 29, 2013.
Yesterday, the kids, the dogs and I (no husband, or bonus boy - that's another story) drove to my sister's house, where we had a ridiculously traditional Thanksgiving celebration with my mom, siblings, aunt, cousins, and everyone's respective spouses. There was turkey, dog-walking, cards and football. It was a gorgeous Oklahoma day.
Growing up I didn't realize how special my family was. I loved my family and looked forward to seeing them, but I didn't realize how much support and unconditional love I received from them until I got older and was able to compare my family to other families. To be clear, my family has issues like every other family, but ultimately they collectively offer a tremendous amount of love and acceptance. That love and acceptance has been a pivotal part of me becoming who I am, which has become especially clear to me after becoming a parent.
While we were eating pumpkin pie and drinking coffee, my soon-to-be 89-year-old grandmother confessed that when I "took on" the kids, she was worried. She said it was something she never would have done. (She just lived through the Depression and World War II, raised three kids in 900 square feet, worked an office job when most women didn't work outside the home, etc. - it's all relative). She said my grandpa wasn't worried at all, though. She said he knew I'd be good at it. Considering my grandpa grew up at the Baptist Home for Children during the Depression, he knew a bit about being without parents, so learning of his confidence in me to be able to raise my kiddos meant a lot. What has meant the most, though, was that my entire family, regardless of what they might have thought privately, embraced my children immediately, even before I adopted them, and gave them the same support and unconditional love that they had given me from the beginning. They gave hugs, attention, smiles, fabulous food, advice about difficult times at school, more attention and more hugs.
Over the last several years I've read a lot about attachment, trauma and shame, and I've listed a lot of those books in the Resources on this blog. In the last year while both of my girls were living in psychiatric hospitals and we were participating in intensive family therapy, I experienced my girls' epiphanies about acceptance, and witnessed them both turning a corner to begin loving and healing themselves. What's amazing to me about all of this is that the key to that love of self begins with the connection and attachment we have to family. It's like a little magic key that some of us receive at birth and that some of us have to work ridiculously hard to believe we're worthy of and finally begin to accept. I recently viewed Brené Brown's TED Talk, "The Power of Vulnerability" and it was like all my own experience and knowledge combined with everything I've learned from my husband in our marriage and via his research (he's a fan of "if you can't measure it, it doesn't exist," as is Dr. Brown), my dabbling in Buddhism over the last 20 years, as well as what I've learned from my study of my kids' issues in the last 5 years was tied up in a not-at-all-neat bow. It's the ultimate chicken and egg scenario - in order to feel worthy and feel the accompanying sense of love and belonging, one must believe one is worthy of love and belonging. It's really that simple. Getting there is not. I learned with my girls that I could tell them all day long for five years that I loved them, that I was their mother, and that I would not leave them, but it never took. When I saw the shift happen is when each one of them individually came to the place via intensive family therapy where they could say out loud something to me of which they were deeply ashamed - it was always something an adult had done to them, never anything they were actually responsible for - and witness me not running away, holding them while they sobbed, telling them that what had happened was awful and something they didn't deserve, empathizing, and witnessing me coming back next week for the next session. Their sense of shame was so strong that they knew, no matter what I told them, that if I knew the "real" them, I'd abandon them and never look back. They had to have courage to say out loud these things they were deeply ashamed of, be rewarded with connection, love and acceptance, and continue having the courage to begin accepting themselves, to abandon perfection, and to be vulnerable, which is the gateway to joy, love and fulfillment. I'm so proud of my children. They and my husband are the strongest people I know.
Though my grandfather was sure I'd be wonderful at raising my kids, I walked into my relationship with them knowing that they'd likely go back to their biological parents, as 70% of foster children in Oklahoma do. I had learned after years of work on my own abandonment issues that tackling my fear of loving these kids and watching them leave was the best thing I could do for myself and for them. When the opportunity to adopt them came about, I let go of all kinds of "perfection" I had in my head about what my family would look like, what kind of life I'd be able to give them monetarily, that kids should have a father, etc. I was completely unsure of what my path would actually look like, but I was excited for the possibilities, and I think that's what my grandfather picked up on. Though my grandmother said she would never have embarked on a path like mine, without realizing it she and my grandfather along with my mother are the most basic parts of a family who is compassionate, loving and welcoming and which was the platform for me overcoming my own shame (we all have it), becoming vulnerable, and opening wholeheartedly to the possibilities and love that life brings, and I grow more thankful by the day for that gift.
As the days grow shorter, I am reminded of how difficult the next month will be. My children were removed from their biological family's home the day after Christmas and put into a shelter. That's a very tough anniversary. A a reminder, lots of people have a tough time with the holidays, so please be mindful of that. Last year my middle child had a breakdown on December 23rd that didn't really end until she was taken to inpatient psychiatric care in early January by one of our local police officers. At the same time, I know that when I asked my kids what they were thankful for yesterday, each one individually said "family," and that was not some "I know this is what my mom wants to hear" answer. Our extended family is a miracle for my children, and I use that word in its literal sense. As we move toward a new year, I hope that each of you can find your own vulnerability, embrace it, become open to the love that surrounds you and the miracle that is the connection between us all.
Super Woman
Originally published July 23, 2013.
I get a lot of "Shelley, I just don't know how you do it." Here's my secret - I don't. I fail miserably in lots of ways. Don't get me wrong, I do my job well, I function as a mom, and I don't drop too many balls overall. I don't drink excessively, explore dangerous drugs or even eat too poorly. What I do is run out of gas. Yep, over the last year, I have run out of gas at least six times. Once I did it while lecturing to my oldest child about taking responsibility for herself. I also get speeding tickets - three in the last 4 months. Here's what's good about that, though, and why I'm writing about it - people are awesome.
I've said many, many times that it takes a village to raise my kids. Today, it took Reggie, a total stranger, who decided to bring me gas after I stalled in the left turn lane at a very busy intersection during rush hour.
Reggie saw me in the median, directing traffic away from the left turn lane (I really didn't want to see anyone run into my car or each other), and asked if I needed help. I told him help was on the way and thanked him. What I didn't know was that he told himself that if when he drove back by if I was still there directing traffic, he was going to get some gas and bring it to me, which he did.
Reggie works for Pop-A-Lock. He was doing a job for them when he saw me. When he delivered my gas it was as a good samaritan. He didn't charge me. He called me ma'am. He stepped into traffic to put the gas in the car. He was just a ridiculously nice guy doing something good. He doesn't own the company. He didn't know I have 1,000 Facebook friends and a decently successful blog. If you care to, you might let Pop-A-Lock know that it was cool what Reggie did.
And, can I mention Reggie is black? Considering my last blog post, I think that's an important thing to mention. Unlike the mature white woman in a Mercedes who wouldn't look at me while I was trying to tell her that my car was blocking the lane and that she'd have to move (because I was so clearly dressed for car jacking, in my black crepe suit and heels in 103 degree Oklahoma heat) Reggie was awesome. As were the 20 other black men who stopped to ask if I was OK, and did I need help. Honestly, with the current state of affairs, I don't know that I'd be as nice if I were them, and I think it's important to acknowledge them.
I'd also like to give a shout out to all the other men and women who pulled over to ask if I needed help. And, to the awesome guy who stuck his arm out his window, handed me a cold bottle of water and said "I know you're hot, honey." And, to the people who gave me the thumbs up and a wave when they realized why I was standing in the road waving them away.
So, I've solved my speeding problem by using cruise control in town on my way to work. I'm not sure how to solve my running out of gas problem. The obvious answer is to watch my gas tank, but I think my problem is a bit bigger than that. My stress is clearly manifesting itself in my lack of attention to my gas tank. And, when it gets right down to it, I appreciate the opportunity to gain some perspective about the nature of people. I love Oklahomans. People are awesome.
The Talk
Originally published July 13, 2015.
I was really trying to avoid commenting about the Zimmerman trial, but it's just not going to happen. My Facebook feed is schizophrenic again, because I have a very diverse group of friends, and the comments are all over the place. The "Nugent says this vindicates citizen patrols" just put me over the edge. And, the saint-like portrayals of this young man are almost as bad. So here goes.
None of us know what happened between Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Martin. For my own sanity, I have to put faith in our justice system. As flawed as it may be, it's one of the best in the world. The verdict is what it is, and I was proud of President Obama when he said as much.
Having said that, a young man is dead, and another young man's life is ruined. The whole situation is tragic. I'm thinking there might have been a bit too much "fight or flight" going on, which I know from my own life often has dire consequences. Here's another thing I know from my own life - whether there was racial profiling involved in this situation or not, it happens. It happens in 2013. Please stop acting like it doesn't.
I've been trying to figure out how to explain to my beautiful 8-year-old son that he will likely be treated differently during his lifetime, because of the color of his skin. The way I've raised him, he has no clue that he's any different from me, and I will have to break his heart with the news that he is. At some point, he will be treated like a suspect, he will be guilty of "driving while black," he will be confronted about something he hasn't done, and it will be because he's black. I hope that's as bad as it gets. I will never, ever again buy him a hoodie.
I listened to a great NPR story this morning on "the talk" that black families have to have with their kids, to help them understand what I've described above. There's not much I'm scared of in this world, but being a white mother and having that talk with my black kids scares the hell out of me. I barely know what I'm talking about, and I'm a member of the oppressive class for God's sake.
When my 14-year-old gets followed around at the mall, but her white friends don't, how do I explain that? When the school administrator dismisses my daughter's concerns, but listens to the white bully, how do I explain that? And, when my 8-year-old looks over my shoulder at Facebook and grins and says, "Is that me on Facebook?" How do I say, "no that's a dead black boy who looks a lot like you?"
And, finally, how do I sleep at night, when I know that just like a lot of you reading this, when a young black man pulls up next to me, with his music playing a little too loud, without conscious thought I stiffen and move to lock my doors. I racially profile, and I am the mother of three beautiful, black children. I was not raised that way, I don't think that way, yet my fight or flight kicks in because of stereotypes that have been burned on my brain. I am more ashamed than I can say.
I'm convinced that if racial healing is going to happen, it will be because white people confront their assumptions and beliefs - really confront them - and proactively and deliberately begin the healing process. Tomorrow I'm attending a vigil for racial healing that our local YWCA is hosting. I'm also part of a Witnessing Whiteness class hosted by our local YWCA that is based on the book by Shelly Tochluk. I challenge you to challenge yourself and your ideas about race by reading the book. If you have other suggestions for racial healing, please offer them in the comments for others. But whatever you do, please stop telling yourself you're not a racist. Stop telling yourself you're a progressive, educated person, because odds are you're not as progressive as you think.
Creative Parenting
Originally published April 12, 2013.
Tomorrow I will present to a room full of strangers about my "creative parenting." I was nominated to present at a PechaKucha event by someone who I had respected from afar, but never realized knew who I was. I'm always excited to talk to anyone about our family's foster/adoptive journey, and I was especially honored to speak at this event.
Tonight, though, I have a nagging feeling in my gut that I really shouldn't do it. I feel like a fraud and a huckster talking about parenting. I created images of my smiling kids, and planned on talking about our trials and tribulations in a way that might lead someone in the crowd to consider doing the same. But tonight I have to admit that I really don't have any hope left for my oldest daughter. After 5+ years, I've shifted into thinking how I can protect the rest of my family from her, rather than thinking about how to help her.
I behave like a warden in my own home. I discovered a cell phone this morning during a random pocket check (this happens 2-3 times per week). I bought a charger on the way to work, charged it up, and realized that she had asked her friends to pitch in money so she could buy it from a kid who rides her bus. They pitched in but didn't have enough money, so she gave the kid her birthday check from my mother as collateral. Then, he said he lost the check, so she offered to steal her 8-year-old brother's check to give him. I've created a Frankenstein who thinks she's street smart, but is actually terrifically gullible. A girl who fancies herself ghetto, but who has actually become quite comfortable living a middle class lifestyle.
I had to call my sweet mother today and tell her that the birthday check - the one that came in the sparkly card that she took ten minutes to pick out, telling my daughter how much she was adored and loved - had to be cancelled, along with her entire checking account, because of what my daughter had done. In the 5 years I've been a mother, I've never been so embarrassed and ashamed.
Today I fully realized that this may be as good as it gets for my daughter, and that the next few years may be about protecting my other kids and husband from her. The phone was the tip of the iceberg. In the last few weeks, she's stolen my phone, she's stolen the money she used to buy her phone. Tonight she stole her brother's house key (because she's not allowed to have one). She's created a second facebook profile that she used to bully another girl at school and to engage in remarkably pornographic and abusive discussions. She lies to her therapist. She lies to me. She chooses not to heal.
Two weeks ago, she tried living on the streets and lasted 2 hours. I thought that might be the wake up call she needed, but by the next week, she was up to her same tricks.
My daughter is living in our garage, because I don't trust her to live in the house. That's my creative parenting for today. My daughter is living in my garage.
Shadow Mountain
Orginally published November 12, 2012.
For all you very kind people who have been asking about my middle kiddo, T, here's an update:
Eight days ago, T, my 10-year-old who I have fostered, then adopted, for the last 3 1/2 years, was taken by several Tulsa Police Department officers to Shadow Mountain for inpatient psychiatric care. Many of you may wonder, "How can a sweet girl who is making As and got elected to Student Council have to be strapped to a gurney in a psychotic state and taken to a psych hospital?" The answer is Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), which both of my girls have been diagnosed with. Basically, it occurs when a child doesn't form healthy attachments as an infant. Combine that with all that results from years of neglect and abuse (even in foster care), and you also get PTSD. She's also been diagnosed with ADHD (potentially caused by in utero exposure to cocaine) as well.
So, last weekend, we had a really good weekend. My mom came to visit, and we talked about Christmas lists and generally just hung out. Good weekends make my kiddos nervous, because they begin to feel close to me (attached), and their fight or flight kicks in, because they consider that attachment a threat. In addition, I accidentally uncovered a stash of food T had been hoarding (another symptom), which embarrassed her (it's a little like being seen naked), and that combined with the good weekend triggered her into a rage. Often, she can calm herself, but on this day she took it to a new level and after throwing most of her room down the stairs, bashing her head into the wall repeatedly, and trying to make a run for it down the street while tearing off her clothes I called our local police department and my husband for help, because I couldn't transport her alone. So, she's been there for eight days, and I was hoping she would be transferred to the RAD unit, which is one of the few that exists, but they have no available beds. And, since she's RAD, they know they won't be able to help her in the short time she'd be allowed to stay in residential care (three months or so), Consequently, they'll boot her so they can accept other kids who can actually be helped in residential care. So, she's likely coming home this week, and then we just have to wait for a bed to open up on the RAD unit.When she goes into the RAD unit, she'll be there for a minimum of three months, but likely more like 6 to 12 months. I'm hoping losing my kiddo for 6 to 12 months will result in her never having to be institutionalized again, but it's not a guarantee. So, because you're all kind and wonderful, you'll ask what can you do. Here's what you can do - Pay attention to who you elect and hold them accountable for funding programs that help the mentally ill, help people get job skills, and provide a functioning foster care system. If you think of these things as handouts or entitlements, consider the economic impact of my kiddo's bio mother - only one Oklahoman who was affected by mental illness (including drug & alcohol addiction), teen pregnancy, generational poverty, and lack of job skills. She has cost the State of Oklahoma hundreds of thousands of dollars if not a million or more just in the amount of money she has been paid in social services benefits, that has been paid for her to be incarcerated, that has been paid to me and other foster/adoptive parents for caring for her kids, and for my children's weekly therapy visits, psychiatric visits, medication, and inpatient psychiatric stays (which taxpayers pay for).
This is complicated stuff, and you can't look at it in a simplistic way. Not funding social programs results in more money paid by all of us, and tremendous trauma for kiddos like mine. And, there are thousands of kiddos like mine in the state of Oklahoma. So, think of the impact you, your family, your place of worship, or your civic group could do by standing up for Oklahoma's kids and ensuring that Oklahoma funds its social programs adequately. I can't think of a better return on investment. Unless you'd like to build even more prisons to put the next few generations in, because that's where they're headed. End o' diatribe.
As Good As It Gets
Originally published January 20, 2013.
Usually when I write, I try to come up with some kind of lesson, something I'm supposed to learn, some bigger picture reason for why things happen the way they happen. Today, though, I'm just amazingly angry.
I just left T, my 10-year-old, at inpatient psychiatric care for the second time since November. It's her third stay - the first one was a little over a year ago. She arrived at psychiatric care via a police patrol car. The same incredibly kind police officer who showed up at our house last Tuesday (five days ago) called me after she heard our address on her radio today and said "I'm on my way. I heard dispatch give your address, and I said "I know that kid." I'm coming over." By the time she arrived, I was drenched in sweat, shaking, afraid I might be having a heart attack, and pushing with all the strength I had left in my legs to keep our attic door closed as T threw her weight against it from the other side, as she screamed and yelled to be let out and kicked holes in it. She hurled her tiny little 10-year-old body like a weapon against the years of abuse and neglect that she suffered and can't escape, though she's been safe, loved and cared for for almost four years.
That's where I find myself more and more lately. Sweating, exhausted, terrified and praying to God that my daughter doesn't get out of wherever I've been lucky enough to trap her and accidentally break her neck or throw herself into the covered pool and drown. For years she would at least stay in her room while she was raging, which provided some level of safety. But over the last few months, she leaves her room, roams the house, the yard and our neighborhood if I don't physically restrain her, which is getting harder and harder. Last Tuesday, with both my husband and I home, she managed to throw her closet door down the stairs, nearly falling down with it, then get out the back door, narrowly miss falling into the covered pool, out the gate, and run down the street wailing hysterically and tearing off her clothes. My husband and I stood in the driveway, knowing if we chased after her it would only get worse. So, we stood, feeling hopeless, doing nothing, hoping the police arrived soon.
So, here's where I have to ask, how in the hell is this as good as it gets for mentally ill children in this country? I read with both horror and relief "Thinking the Unthinkable" by the Anarchist Soccer Mom where she writes "I am sharing this story because I am Adam Lanza’s mother," and I thought, "yeah, that's me. Is my kid the next one on the national news?"And I know a lot of other parents who are thinking the same thing.
My husband and I both have advanced degrees, we make what is an upper income for the state in which we live, we're resourceful, and I'm assertive to the point that I'm sure I've been called a b*tch more than once. I've got a great supportive network, including a wonderful extended family, and I've read every book I can find on Reactive Attachment Disorder (her diagnosis). She has therapy weekly, takes medication, sees a good psychiatrist, and is on the waiting list for the Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) unit in our community. Though the RAD unit has a good reputation, there aren't very many beds, and the stay there is a minimum of 6 months, so the beds don't open up often.
There's not much written about her diagnosis - in fact if you read attachment texts it's generally not covered. My kids' therapist has asked to write his doctoral thesis on our family, because both of my girls have RAD diagnoses, and in his words "are not burning down our house nor stabbing us to death in our sleep," so we must be doing something right. So, basically, I'm the Mrs. Cleaver of the RAD set. I'm the Mrs. Cleaver, and I still can't help my kid. I'm doing every damn thing I can think of, and I still can not help my kid.
In ten days, the psychiatric hospital will likely send T home, because she will no longer be "acute," - no longer a danger to herself nor others. T can do 10 days in a psych ward like it's Six Flags. She won't show any of her defiance. She'll be a super sweet kiddo, because she's smart and she knows how the system works, and she wants to be in control. In foster/adoptive circles, we call this the honeymoon. If she didn't have a RAD diagnosis, she'd be stepped down into residential care once she was no longer acute. But, because she has a RAD diagnosis, the hospital will send her home, because they know they can't help her in the 90 days or so they could keep her and actually get paid. They know she needs the RAD unit (6 months to 2 years). So, they'll send her home, and she'll continue to have rages that require police intervention once a week, with no end in site, and it will traumatize my two other already traumatized children and stress my marriage and slowly but surely destroy our family. And, the best I can hope for is that she doesn't hurt anyone else. And, this is as good as it gets.
Library Books
It All Begins Here
Originally written October 21, 2010.
Tonight, as I was tucking in my kiddos, my 8-year-old proudly showed me her “libary” books. I said your “what” books? She giggled and said “library books,” smiling broadly. I joked with her that if she left the “r” out often enough, the “r” might get its feeling hurt, go away and never come back. Then “rivers” would be “ivers” and “roses” would be “oses,” and it would be all her fault! She added “rainbows” would be “ainbows” and then randomly, but thoughtfully, moved on to all the words that would be different if “p” got its feelings hurt and ran off.
It was a fun game, but fun wasn’t the point. The point was to use humor and creative fun to get us past the sticky situation we face every day, which is that my kids struggle to speak “properly.”
When my oldest adoptive daughter came to me as a then 9-year-old African-American foster child, I remember correcting her pronunciation of “library” the first time. Being a white, educated, 40-year-old woman, correcting her pronunciation was an obvious thing to do, and I didn’t give it a second thought.
For her, it was an affront. She snapped her head around and said, “it’s libary, not library.” I explained that it was indeed “library” with an “r” and breezily assured her that it was okay that she was learning the correct pronunciation because everyone had to at one point or another. She glared at me with a look that only she has and said “that’s how my mom says it. And, that’s how my auntie says it. It’s libary.”
Consequently what was a simple correction of pronunciation for me became an insult to her family and to her culture, and that’s not easy to come back from, especially when you’ve not yet built trust with a child. I let it go, having no clue how to proceed, and we continued to run our errands
Within about ten minutes a fellow shopper caught my eye. She was 10 years older than me and African-American. As she was walking past us, I said “Excuse me, ma’am. Could you explain to my daughter how you pronounce the place where one checks out books?” She stared at me for a split second before she understood what I was asking and then calmly looked at my then foster daughter and said. “Yes. It’s the library.” My daughter proceeded to argue with her that it was in fact the “libary” sans the “r.” And this total stranger calmly explained to her, “No, honey. It’s “library” with an “r.” That’s how you say it. “Library.” I thanked her as she walked away. Thank God for total strangers.
That was the beginning of what has been a nearly three year struggle for my kiddos, and one that will likely last their lifetimes. It may seem small, but for them it’s about far more than a few dropped letters or slang words. At times they’ve yelled “I don’t want to talk white!” or “I want to talk like my mama!” Eventually, with help from their biological great-aunt, they began to relent and relax a bit. She graciously explained that people judged her for the way she spoke, and she wanted something better for them. She helped them understand they weren’t abandoning their biological family by changing their speech, and her words reassured them and gave them permission to grow, learn and change. And, now their speech is greatly improved, although they still struggle with some problem words like “library.”
However, every time I correct their speech, I’m reminded of the dual worlds my children will always balance between, and a small part of me thinks I’m chipping away at them a bit, oppressing some part of their soul that’s tied to a world I can never give them and that may never again be fully within their grasp. And, my world becomes grayer and grayer. It’s a world where “proper” doesn’t ring quite as true as it once did.