We all have our reasons for why we decided to adopt. Of course in the beginning I don't think my reasoning
was a reality.

My husband and I had taught youth group at our church
for several years. It was always just a given that we would have our own family. When it didn't work out that way. We felt the Lord was maybe calling us to go out and save the world's children.

Like that great poster that says, "Saving the world one child at a time." Well we should have known then that we never did anything one child at a time.
There were always several involved in whatever we did.

Why should our adoption have been any different? (giggle) We had on our rose colored glasses. Thinking we were going to get this group of poor, misfortunate kids, who needed and deserved us. After all we had jobs, a home, two cars, two dogs and we went to church every Sunday.

Boy were we in for a rude awakening !

The kids were easy on us the first couple of months.
By the third month I was strung out, sleepless, falling behind on laundry, couldn't keep the house clean and beginning to add words to my vocabulary that God never invented.

I thought I had adopted 3 demons from the depths of hell. I was cursed for life. I could not get them to sit still. They were all over the place. Off in every direction you could imagine. They would not attend Sunday school. Or sit nicely in church beside us.

They had food fights. The boys would open the closet or drawers where their fresh clean clothes were and pee all over them. That was when they were not peeing on each other through the fan.

April was stuffing toilets with anything and every thing she could find.

My oldest daughter was the only one who could half way make them mind. We thought we were going to save the world. WRONG. We needed somebody to save us....
from the little demons we called children.

Then when I began writing for this blog. Someone was looking for people with positive adoption stories in another on line adoption forum. I thought to myself are they crazy? Who on earth ever heard of a positive adoption story.

Well hello. Wake up. We are parenting here. Biological or Adopted. No family is going too add up to the Cleavers. Where there are children involved there are just as many bad stories as there are good.
If anyone ever tells you anything different. Run from them. (Grin)

The honest truth is. Children are children. They are going to push your buttons one minute. Then look at you and light your life up the next. Parenting is the most important job in the world. Every expectant mother and father should have a PhD in Parenting before they are allowed to even have sex.

Some time if you knew what your child was going to grow up and do. You would refuse to give birth.
Then when they do something so brilliant and you stand back in awe of who they are. Then acknowledge that this child is part of you. It makes it all worth wild.

When you go to join foster care. They just about scare you to death in orientation. Well they do that for a purpose. They can not make the faint hearted good parents. Money does not allow them time to super train you and hold your hand or give you comfort twenty four - seven.

So yes I have wonderful stories of success in our adoption. However I have some stories that would scare Satan himself away from adoption.

The most important thing is to have a mind set that says "I am here to parent these children. I will keep them safe. I will do my best to feed them, do their laundry. Clean their messes. Cut the bubble gum out of the dogs hair and still be greatful at the end of the day."

No other mind set will work. Especially the good little "Let me save the world" mind set. Because when things get bad you will sit there in self pity wondering how these kids could do this to me?"

In reality "How could anyone cast away a child or beat them or forget to feed them? How could anyone do that to them?"

Once you get your mind where it needs to be. You will be the best Adoptive mom and dad on earth. You will also think God gave you the perfect children.
It is all in his plan for man anyway. So sit back and enjoy the ride. Cedar Point has nothing on Adoptive Parents. We take on the fearless Roller Coasters and laugh while we are flying.

Can I hear an Amen?