Wednesday, March 4, 2015

What it means

I knew going into this that we would get bombarded with questions from everyone - family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers.  I get that people are curious about why we're doing this, how long it will take, if we have to travel, how old our daughter is, etc.  I honestly love the questions, because number one: I love that people are interested in our daughter, and number two:  I love talking about her.  I also expected that people would question us about why we're adopting a child with Down Syndrome, which is totally understandable.  What I didn't expect was how many people don't get that we do actually know what we're getting into.  I wish I had a dollar for every time someone asked me, "You know what this means, don't you?" or "You do know that this is a big responsibility, right?"  We just might be able to fund this whole adoption with that.  

I get it.  I get that people are just trying to prepare us for a hard journey ahead.  And bless their hearts.  But to those people, I just wanna say, Thank you! Thank you so much for the encouragement and the positive outlook.  you can't see it, but I'm rolling my eyes.
 
I would bet that most parents would agree that it's not easy raising any child, whether they have disabilities or not.  Yeah, we will encounter trials and daily struggles, maybe more than parents with children without a disability, maybe not.  But the fact of the matter is, we will do whatever it takes to make sure this precious girl reaches her potential.  We do that with our other children. You do what you have to do, no matter what it is.  It's called being a parent.

I do think it's a little bit funny when I get these kind of questions, the kind that come with a side of  disapproval... especially since we're the ones that are adopting her, not them.  We're the ones that have made this decision after years of prayer.  We're the one who have researched and studied Down Syndrome.  We're the ones who have to raise this child.  We're the ones who will be responsible for her for the rest of our lives. We get it.  Do they really think they're going to say anything to us that we haven't already thought of a thousand times?  Really?  I promise, we've thought this through.  We aren't just blindly jumping into this. 

I know that this is just the beginning.  The questions are only going to get tougher and more critical once we get her home.  Not from family and friends, but from strangers and people who genuinely think that they have all the answers we need.  I have to remember that not everyone thinks the same way we do, not everyone gets why we're doing this.  Grace and mercy is what I receive from my Father.  It's what I have to remember to give to others. I honestly don't think that most people mean any harm by their questions, I just wish I could adequately express what Mike and I are feeling when they ask.  I feel like we're on the witness stand.  Like we have to defend our decision.  
 Obviously things like this get under my skin and I'm trying to get it all out now, I'm trying to be better.  I don't know why it irritates me so much.  I should be used to the looks and the questions.  After all, when we drag all 5 of our monkeys into public, the crowd looks at us like the circus has come to town. 

For the most part, everyone we know has been amazing, and so supportive!!  Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts for all the love and prayers and good wishes!!  We appreciate all of you so much and we don't know how we would do this without you!