Raising two adopted children in Tel-Aviv
Bibi is so lucky to have HaRav Ovadia Yosef make riculous comments. U.S.: Rabbi’s ‘offensive’ remarks harm peace efforts – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News.
Now Netanyahu gets to look the moderate, peacemaker. Yeah, peace is right around the corner. Those direct talks are looking better and better.
/must I?
People seem to like lists a lot. I also remember my panic, even with extensive international travel under my belt, when forced to pack for a trip of unknown duration where I could have found myself stuck in a remote village for more than a month.
Keep in mind that you may find yourself spending lots of time with nothing to do. You need to stay busy and stay connected since your friends and family provide a lifeline to sanity when you are going through an international adoption.
So here’s my top ten list:
Book links:
We were there with another couple and their two, beautiful children. All four of our kids are adopted from Ukraine. They have become good friends of ours through our four adoptions, and were our biggest cheering pit while we were in Ukraine to adopt Matan. It’s nice to have a close connection to another adoptive family and it’s good for our children who get along like siblings, playing and fighting, but loving every minute of it.
We were very aware of the border tension as fighter jets practiced over our heads during the day. Each village is enclosed and gated at night, but otherwise life seemed very calm and slow paced, exactly as a vaction village should feel.
Compassion allows us to use our own pain and the pain of others as a vehicle for connection. This is a delicate and profound path.
-Sharon Salzberg
via “WEEKLYWORDS OF WISDOM on the World Wide Web chosen by Lama Surya Das. For more info see the Dzogchen Center
It finally happened. The fateful question, once released, will be forever lodged in my memory.
Today a woman saw me with Matan and asked, “Are you the mother or the grandmother?”. I was too shocked to think of a creative reply.
Last year a girlfriend (45+)with a 4 year old daughter told me she often felt uncomfortable when playground parents would ask her the same question. At the time, I was shocked that anyone would ask.
Although it’s normal for Israelis to ask personal question even when they barely know you, she looks so young that I was surprised that anyone would think her a grandmother. True, when I was born my grandmother was only 45, but somehow people tend look younger, longer these days.
When people ask other awkward questions, I usually have a ready reply. The most common question I get when people find out my kids are adopted is, “What do you know about his/her real mother?”. The answer is “I AM THE REAL MOTHER!”. Sorry for yelling.
I should probably expect to be asked “mother or grandmother?” more often now that I have a new toddler, and time continues its assault. I will happily accept suggestions for snarky replies to use next time this happens.I’ve tried thinking of a snappy answer, but nothing comes to mind.
No thumbnail this time for what should be obvious reasons.
