Adoption Picnic
“What keeps you going isn’t some final destination but just the road you’re on and the fact that you know how to drive.” – Barbara Kingsolver
Not long after Mona leaves, Sheila, Nina’s aunt returns and then May, a nine year old girl joins our family. May is in the “adoptions” unit which means the county is actively searching for an adoptive family for her. I am not a candidate because adoption at this point is still on the distant horizon for me. May is to stay with us until a match is found, and I learn about how adoption matches are made. She is a voracious reader, and loves the fact that we have many books. We discover that we share several favorites. Each night, May carries at least a dozen books up to the top bunk to read. Not surprisingly, she is an excellent student, and loves school. May worries about being bored and I give her a little tote to carry books and games when we go somewhere, just in case.
Because May is in the adoptions unit, a professional photographer visits us to take photos of May and her younger brother to send to prospective parents. I let the photographer know that I have five foster children who may not understand why the photographer is only taking pictures of May. She very graciously took beautiful pictures of all of my girls, including Ivy, my birth child. Following the photo session, May is taken to an “adoption picnic” by her county worker. That very day, a nice couple meets May and her brother and will very possibly adopt them following a sort of “courtship” period. Mays’s brother is living at another foster home with our agency. May is a delightful little girl, however her brother has some dangerous behaviors and after an overnight with this couple, it is understood that they will not pursue this adoption. May seems ambivalent and happy to continue living with us. I continue to support the process because that is what I am supposed to do; but the “marketing of children,” leaves me cold.
Shari, my oldest who is pregnant is getting closer to her due date. There is a program sponsored by the CA Highway Patrol that is offering brand-new safety seats for infants and children upon completion of a safety class offered for $20.00. Shari and I sign up for the class and we each get the type of safety seat we need for her new baby and Nina. Our foster care agency also very kindly throws Shari a baby shower and she collects many more items she will need for her baby. As the due date gets closer, I begin thinking about how I can support Shari at delivery and still take care of my responsibilities to my other children. Shari has an older sister who has reached out and we agree that she will be available to take Shari to the hospital when the time comes. I will follow after I get the other girls to my parent’s home or make arrangements for them to pick up the girls at their various schools.
