The What-Ifs of Being Adopted
“Play the Stitch song, mama!” my daughter exclaimed with a smile, hugging her Stitch stuffy on the car ride home from dropping her brother off at school. The soundtrack began with an upbeat tune about only wanting to be surfing in the ocean, and I was immediately transported to the warm comfort of sitting on my board with my feet dangling in the water and the heart-pumping joy of seeing the waves coming. My subconscious kicked in. It’s weird knowing you were born in the wrong place and culture. But then I remembered I was born in the right place – the Big Island, Hawaii – but in the wrong set of circumstances, or rather the wrong set of circumstances for my idealized version of what my life could have been. I’ve reflected a lot over the last few days in conversations with friends regarding adoption and the accompanying feelings of longing. I wonder if those of you who grew up in what could be considered “normal,” stable families with two loving, present parents have experie...