November 30, 2011
Write Your Final Blog Post for National Adoption Month!
It's the last day of National Adoption Month, but that doesn't mean you have to stop blogging! However, if you are done blogging until next year, try to wrap things up by asking yourself the following questions:
- What did you learn about yourself?
- What are you looking forward to doing again next year?
- What's one way you can be more active in the adoption community over the next year?
When I was first asked to contribute blog posts about National Adoption Day, I have to admit I didn't know there was such a month. As a breast cancer survivor, I dread the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month because the ubiquitous pink awareness ribbon will start to show up on everything from toilet paper to dog food. The overt awareness and requests for donations has made me turn away from a month dedicated to a disease I once suffered from.
But, with National Adoption Month, I tried to be less cynical as I pondered the purpose of the month. Adoption in our household is a common subject. We often discuss our daughters' adoptions as a way for them to learn about who they are and where they came from. With my work at Adoption.Com, I frequently bring up adoption subjects to get a different perspective from my own. My 13-year-old daughter is very insightful on her feelings about being adopted, and this helps me better understand the adoption triad.
When I first mentioned National Adoption Month, the family mumbled that it was nice there was a month dedicated to adoption awareness, but as kids, they were more concerned about Halloween costumes and candy than participating in activities dedicated to adoption.
There are many activities happening during National Adoption Month, but I tried to find an activity that would mean something to us personally. When I first thought of the idea of wearing a purple awareness ribbon for the entire month, the girls were intrigued and happily agreed to participate.
But, as the month progressed, I now find them becoming excited at the prospects of wearing a purple ribbon. They are both proud to be adopted and proud to announce to the world they are from a foreign country, and by wearing a purple ribbon, they see this as a chance to spread the word about adoption awareness to their teachers and friends.
Now, rather than counting the days to Halloween, Bunny counts the number of days it is until she can wear a purple adoption ribbon. Knowing her, I imagine she as already identified every purple outfit in her closet and in which order she is going to wear them during the month. The opportunity to don a purple adoption ribbon as an accessory is just an added bonus for her.
I am excited to see my daughters so excited about National Adoption Month. The month has turned from something that I did for work into something we are participating in as a family.
I can't wait to try out some of the other suggestions on the calendar and I hope we can incorporate many of these activities throughout our year, and maybe celebrating this special month will become another cherished family tradition in our household.
Lanita
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