Happy Adoption Awareness Month!

Although I am of the mind set that every waking moment has adoption awareness potential out there in the big world-in this particular post, I am going to share with you my attempt at reaching a new audience: a classroom of seven and eight year olds.
With the help of Adoptive Family Magazines guide to talking about adoption in the classroom, I took the plunge recently and went into Sam’s 2nd grade classroom to do a mini lesson. It took about twenty minutes, and according to Sam (the only opinion that matters in this case of course) I did a good job. With both teachers’ permission I was able to invite Marcel to watch too. Now he has twenty new best friends in 2nd grade–a total bonus as far as he’s concerned. Each age group is going to demand a different approach–but the one I took worked well for 2nd grade–and I would imagine for 1st grade too. The resource cited above, has tips and suggestions for whatever age you are presenting to.
When I asked Sam if he’d like me to come in and give a little talk on the topic he was all over it. It came up because the teacher sent home a letter asking for volunteers to come in and talk about rituals of importance in their family. I feel rather lame in the ritual department overall, and the ones we do, like jumping off docks together, don’t translate well into full class activities. So, I suggested adoption, since it is such an important part of our family story. I outlined the way the talk would go to the teacher, and what food I would bring to share at the end (pumpkin mini muffins). She thought the program looked very well suited for the class, and a morning slot was agreed upon.
Introduction: What do babies need? What do parents do?
With little “Baby Dexter” wrapped in a blanket on deck as my prop, I took the chair by the white board in front of twenty-one eager little faces on the rug in front of me.
“Hi everyone-I’m Catherine–Sam’s mom. Like your teacher, I’m a teacher too. But my most important job, is being Sam and Marcel’s mommy. I didn’t become a mommy until I met Sammy. How people become a family is why I am am here to talk to you today, and share something that we think is very, very important in our family: adoption”
A few eager hands went up volunteering their understanding of the word. It was sweet to see how many kids knew someone who was adopted, or had an adopted sibling, or cousin, or or adult extended family member. “Wow, this certainly is a room full of experts!” is a great line if you are not sure how to handle all the knowledge out there. “So you’ll really be able to help me and the friend I brought along to help me share our story..” This is where I reached down and got baby Dexter. He is a brown skin baby doll (that I got for Sammy before Marcel was born). Wrapped in a blanket I held like he was alive, and asked if the class thought they would be able to pass him gently and quietly from friend to friend as we came up with some very important answers to a few questions Dexter had for the class.
Question one: What do babies need? I held up a sign with those words which they read out loud, and then we took turns adding things to the list. Admittedly a little hard to engage, and write while sitting on a chair that is only eight inches from the ground–but I managed. “Milk, food, toys, warmth, clothing, love, hugs, a home, visits to the doctor, medicine…” and of course parents. After praising the kids for their continued expertise on being great older brothers or sisters or cousins or friends, we went on to “What parents do.” The kids easily volunteered all the right answers; “Feed the baby, love it, change it’s poopy diapers!! Ewwwww!” If they got stuck, I just went back to the baby list to prompt them. At the end I made sure to add; “parents to bring them into the world”.
So when Baby Dexter’s parents had him, and they were able to look at both these lists, they realized that they would not be able to give him everything a baby needs. They realized they were not in a place in their lives where they could manage to do all the things a parent needs to do. This was the hardest choice they could ever make, but they did. They got help finding a mommy who could be his everyday parent in my case. Some families have two mommies, some have a mommy and a daddy, some have a grampy and a mommy, and an uncle…
At this point I went on about how lucky Baby Dexter is, because he has a mommy and a daddy who loved him so much to bring him into the world, and who still love him very much, and will always be part of his life who are his real parents.
He also has an everyday mommy who gets to do all the things a parent does everyday too, and that means I am his real mommy too! (Sam specifically asked me to address the–Are you his real mommy-language. He said that kids asked him that a lot.) With Baby Dexter safely back in the satchel, and my eager learners transitioned back to their desks, I ended the talk with a read of “Tell Me Again About the Night I was Born” using a document reader and a smart board! (OK, so just holding the book would have worked for me, but the kids needed to move to a new setting after fifteen minutes on the floor. ) They loved the book. It is one of Sam’s all time faves too.
I left handing the teacher a box of muffins for their snack time in a few minutes, and a pile of handouts for the kids take home folders also from Adoptive Families Magazine called; “Talking to classmates about adoption” with a little note on the top from me saying; “Hi this is from Sammy’s mom, to help you if your kiddos have any questions about the talk I gave today.” It’s a great two sided sheet with lots of tips and positive adoption language. I left feeling tremendous that a few new allies were in the making, and Sam felt just a little easier within his beautiful brown adopted skin in school today.
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If you would like help sorting through how to talk about adoption in your child’s classroom or any other issue plesse see my coaching tab at the top of the blog or email me at mamacandtheboys@gmail.com
Have you given a talk in your kids school? Share your successes, ask questions, or leave a link to a post you wrote about the event, to inspire others to get out there this month too.
Oh, how I wish I could have been in that classroom! I know it was unbeatable, Catherine, and I am so glad you’re on the Babble list of contributors. You are a gem, MamaC!
Love and miss you!
That sounds like a really great way to describe adoption to kids! I wish someone would do the same for same sex parents at our school!
Wonderful. Thank you for sharing your experience!
love! What a great way to spread a great message.
You are doing an incredible job and are truly an inspiration. Thank you.
I did my first classroom talk a few months ago for my son’s Kindergarten class. I too, used the “what babies need” and “what parents do” lists and then read “A Mother for Choco.” We also showed some pictures of his life in Ethiopia, since he was only recently adopted and doesn’t speak the language. I thought that would help the other kids understand where he came from. I thought it went really well, and I had a great time.
I love it!
Wow, Mama C! Your classroom presentation sounds great! I’m an adoption social worker, and I’ve trained incoming foster and adoptive parents about how to talk about adoption. I’ve recommended that same book (Jamie Lee Curtis’ Tell Me Again about the Night I was Born.) 2plus2mom mentioned another favorite book: A Mother for Choco. Three other favorites for talking about adoption: Joanna Cole’s “How I Was Adopted,” Todd Parr’s “The Family Book,” and Roslyn Banish’s “A Forever Family.” That last one is actually co-authored by an eight-year-old who was adopted from foster care the year before. Great, great book. Thanks for the good post!
If it would help, I also have posted some more recommended adoption books on adoptionlcsw.com
Choco is a favorite here, and yes there are so many great ones out there now. Thanks for chiming in.
so terrific!
Thanks Mama! All the praise is so appreciated from everyone. I really worked hard on this piece!
I could imagine being there in the classroom with you all and I surely wish I were. But it’s a great lesson for grandparents and all the extended family. We love you!
Grammy
Thanks Grammy–you all do a beautiful job already–and yes always great to have new ways to think about it.
LOVE this! I salute you for doing this!! Seriously, I’m blown away. I like your idea of having the kids list what children need from parents. Brilliant. I feel like I have a whole new way of looking at the issue. I’m clipping your post. I know Theo will be asked about his “real parents” and how I could possibly be his “real” mom. Already I can see kids looking quizzical and Theo does not see it yet. He doesn’t see that we don’t match (even though he knows we look different). Lots to ponder.
Thank you so much Mama! The “what parents do, what babies need” is all from the Adoptive Families magazine suggestion–and it seemed right on to me too. I’m thrilled that it brought up questions in good ways for you as well!
I love “Tell me about the night I was born.” *sniffle*
[…] Mama C’s post: Bringing it to the Classroom: Adoption Talk 101 in grade 2 […]
enjoyed your post. as an adoptive parent of a preschooler i am grateful for suggestions on how to handle this issue in our future. thanks
I am definitely bookmarking this for the day when we will be talking to our child’s classroom! Thank you so much for sharing!
I hope it does help, and thanks for the praise!
This is great! I would LOVE to do this someday with Jackson’s classroom. I love the idea. Thank you!
This is GREAT!! Thanks so much for sharing, I am going to do this with my daughters class next year.
[…] is adoption awareness month. So, far I’ve come across this great post on how to talk to 2nd graders about adoption, a newspaper article on older child adoption featuring the One Inch of Grace family, and there are […]
I am giving a talk to my son’s 2nd grade class tomorrow and very nervous. Your post has been really helpful. I was wondering if you would be okay sharing the handout you gave to the kids’ parents? I was hoping to do that too. Thanks again for share
I’m sorry that I just saw this. I hope your presentation went well!