No, Mommy -- Recycles!

I got home after work with my three kids today. The kids and I usually have some down time and I usually grab a diet coke and the kids each get a snack. My youngest son, who is two years old, was going thru our snack drawer. He loves breakfast bars. Even so, he passed up a chocolate chip breakfast bar and had his eye on the box of breakfast bars with berries (they are nice and sweet and he just loves them). He looks up at me and says, “Mommy, I want”, and he hands me the partially opened box. I open the rest of the box and it was empty. I told my little boy that the breakfast bars were all gone and to put the box in the trash. He looks up at me with his beautiful blue eyes and says “No, Mommy -- Recycles!”

You see, just over a year ago, my husband and I brought our son home from Russia. He was 21 months old and spoke no English living his entire life in an orphanage. Looking back on this last year, it is just amazing how much he has learned -- not only his language skills, but understanding what is going on in a typical family. Just knowing the difference between trash and recycles is pretty incredible for a two year old. I think about the difference between heredity and environment in a child’s life -- both are so important. However, I am learning more and more everyday that environment has a tremendous influence on a child. And, as his Mom, I'm so glad it does!

Robin Bartko

A bond like no other

Today was Labor Day and my husband and I were both enjoying the long weekend. It felt like a bonus day after a busy weekend visiting family and friends. We decided to make it as a relaxing as possible and headed to a local park with our three children.

While my husband was throwing a football around with our two older children (it's fun to watch him run around so much!), I kept an eye on our youngest, a nearly three-year-old toddler who we were blessed to adopt internationally from Russia last year. He was playing on a huge playground, climbing up monkey bars and going down slides. While I'm sure there is more than a bit of "mother's pride" here, he was climbing and sliding like a much older child.

He is, without a doubt, much more independent and physically gifted than our other children at this age. I often wonder if this is because he had to fend for himself more living in an orphanage most of the first two years of his life? Of course, I will never know the answer to this question. I do know, however, that it is truly a joy to watch him play!

As I was watching my little boy I noticed a little girl, probably from China, playing on the tennis courts behind us. She was picking up tennis balls and putting them into a container. When the little girl looked up and called her mom who was playing tennis, I realized that her mom had made her own "leap of faith" (along with a long journey and lots of paperwork) to have this beautiful child forever become a part of her family. How wonderful!

While I did not say a word to them, I instantly felt a bond. The memories of my own "leap of faith" that brought our youngest home last summer went through my mind. Here we were, with likely so much in common, so close to each other enjoying our children on a beautiful late summer day. I thought about talking to them, to speak to another "adoption friend", but thought why intrude on a moment that we both worked and prayed so long to create?

Even though we didn't speak, I believe adoptive parents have a bond like no other. We know and understand the ups and downs of the journey to build our families. And, once we bring our children back to the United States into their forever families, we know that long journey and everything else that went with it was so worth it. Now, if I could just master raising a toddler!

Robin Bartko