Sometimes I am surprised at the things people say about Gracie and her adoption. I had one friend at school say, “Do you know where Gracie’s real parents are?” I responded with, “What do you mean? Yes I know where they are, they live at my house.” My friend explained that she didn’t mean my parents, but Gracie's birth parents, as sometimes people don’t think before they speak. Things like this are sad to say going to happen.

There are some people that come up with weird and false conclusions about adoption.

I had one friend come up to me and say, “You know, one day she’s going to want to go and find her birth parents.” I explained that many adopted children are content with only knowing their adopted families and have no reason to want to go search. I even told him that she was abandoned in a cardboard box with no note. I really don’t think Gracie could find her parents with the population of China so huge and her birth parents left no clue of evidence of where or who they were. My friend said, “It’s possible.” I said, “Yea, if you do a DNA test on all of the males and females in China.” He said, “Oh, good point.”

One friend came to me and said, “Are you going to tell Gracie that she was adopted?” I laughed in response saying, “I think she will be able to tell she was adopted. She has almond shaped eyes and we have rounder eyes. She has jet-black hair and my dad and I have brown and my mom has brown with blond. Gracie has a tan year round and we only get tans in the summer when we go to the pool and beach.” I also tell my friend that we remind Gracie of her adoption everyday. She has a plaque from the Chinese government in her room stating her adoption, she has a cassette tape all about adoption through songs, and we use her Chinese name, Ai Rong, often.

One friend came to me and asked, “Are you going to show Gracie where she came from and what her heritage and background is like?” I responded saying that my parents and I don’t feel like we need to hide anything. It’s her heritage and she should be proud of it.

These types of situations are going to happen. I know people are filled with curiosity and truly mean no harm but just remember your sibling is in your family no matter what. You’re a forever family. Also, remember that he/she may not be born from your mother, but he/she was born out of ALL or your families’ hearts! It’s the love, not the blood that makes you family.