Well, the question caught me so off guard that I don’t know that I answered it the best way possible, and I have to be particularly careful when I speak of adoption because things can sound quite different when relayed to bio mom through the voice and understanding of a 5 year old. But I suppose it’s as good of a time as any to start the conversation.
So, I began by explaining that she wasn’t really calling him names because ‘adopted’ isn’t a name or a bad word, it’s just another way that God makes families. I used our adopted pets as the example:
“Lilly’s first mom was the mom that made her in her belly. But she wasn’t able to take care of her anymore so Lilly needed a new family. Mommy A and I adopted her and even though we weren’t the ones who made her in our belly, we are her mommies now.”
“Where’s Lilly’s mommy dog?”
“I don’t know. There are lots of different reasons why kids and dogs and cats need new parents, but God makes sure they find families to keep them safe and loved.”
“Like being a foster parent?”
“It does sound pretty similar doesn’t it?”
“Yeah. Wanna play play dough?”
And that was the extent of that…for now.
::whew::
