Adoption has ups and downs. I would guess that almost everyone who lives adoption would agree. I guess a broader statement could be that relationships have ups and downs, and adoption is just a more complicated relationship than most.
I've been pretty busy lately. My job is quite demanding, and since I love my job immensely, I end up spending more of my time and energy there than most people devote to their work. Also, my novel is being released next month, and getting published has turned out to be a great deal more work than I ever anticipated. I'm very excited to see it released, and everything which will follow.
However, even with the craziness of day-to-day life, adoption ever lurks in the back of my mind. Some interesting things have happened of late, some things that are not as I would like them to have happened. I'm not sure how to address them at this point. It feels dishonest to pretend as though everything were right and happy, when they're not, but I also don't want to blow things out of proportion.
Last week, I spoke at an alternative high school in Kaysville. I was on a panel with another birthmom, an adoption lawyer, a social worker, and a counselor from a pregnancy crisis center. It was a different experience than anything I've had before. A lot of the students there are single parenting. I looked at them and I just saw babies. Children raising children. It made me really grateful for the education and support that I received while I was making my own decision.
Despite the ups and downs, I know that adoption was the right decision for me, and certainly the right decision for my son. With that in mind, I press forward as an adoption advocate, spreading the word and spreading the love as best as I can.