Hand Picked

I had lunch with a couple of girls on Monday.

I know that's not big news, but to them it was.

You see, one of them was officially adopted by her foster parents on Friday!

Being an adoptee myself, I feel a kind of kinship with her. I invited her and a student from last year, Abby, who was also adopted by her foster parent while in our class to have a celebratory lunch in my classroom.

We are now all officially members of "The Super Duper Extra Special Because Our Parents Picked Us While Everyone Else is Just Stuck With the Kid They Handed Them in the Hospital Adopted Girls Club."

(No offense to those of you biologically related to your children and/or parents. As we adoptees like to say, "Don't hate me because I'm hand-picked.")

Well, my little fourth grader was not so keen on the idea of being adopted at first because she felt it made her "different" from the other kids.

Abby and I managed to convince her that it does indeed make you different, but not in a bad way. She was feeling pretty good by the end of our lunch. She really likes the fact that I am adopted too. It gives us a special connection.

In the end, I was assuring her that I am here if she needs to talk, but Abby stepped right over me and told her that WE are here for her.

At first, I thought it was kinda funny that she did that, like she and I are peers or something...

...but now is realize that, in a way, we are and just how sweet it is.