“Who’s Your Real Mom?”
We are really enjoying hearing your thoughts on LWB Community’s “Conversation of the Week”! Two weeks ago, we asked if you had seriously considered searching for your child’s birthparents. Half of you responded that you had thought about it but know it would be almost impossible. 25% of you felt that it was up to your child to initiate that search when they are older, 8% said that they had no desire to find out their identity, and 17% said that they were actively taking steps to find them!
With such a wide variety of responses, we are sure you’ll have lots to say about our topic for this week. Certainly, every adopted child of school age has heard this question from one of their friends: “Who is your real mom, and why did she give you up?” Sometimes this question comes from genuine curiosity, and sometimes it’s in the form of teasing or bullying (as in, “Didn’t your real mom love you enough to keep you?”) While some children are upset by this and others take it in stride, we know that deep down it must raise questions in our children’s hearts. When your child hears this kind of question, how do they respond (or how have you taught them to respond)?