Yesterday, I took my son to a place called Jungle Java. It’s a giant play world for kids and a coffee house for adults. What an ingenious combination. Okay, I don’t drink coffee, but it’s a great place for adults to talk and kids to let loose. They didn’t have these things when I was little. Isn’t that what each generation says about the next? I forgot my camera or I’d show you pictures.
The place isn’t really as important as the reason I was there. (It really was pretty neat though.) I went there because I just found an adoption support group in my area. I’ve been looking for one, but obviously not in the right places because this particular group has been around for quite awhile.
When I was growing up, my parents were the coordinators for an international adoption support group. There weren’t a whole lot of kids my age in the group, but there were some and the older kids were able to help out by watching some of the younger kids. It was a good experience for me to be around all of these children who were just like me. We didn’t all come from Korea. There were children from Korea, India, El Salvadore… but despite the fact that we looked different, we all shared the common bond of adoption. In this group, we weren’t different.
Now, I’m a parent of an adoptee and I’m forced to look at the situation from a new perspective. I looked back fondly on my time as an adoptee participating in this group, but now I see that it had similar benefits for the parents of the adoptees. Here is a chance to be with a group of people who are interested in the same things, have the same experiences… It’s invaluable, because (let’s face it), parents of adoptees are going to face things that other parents won’t.
I really don’t see the down-side to the whole trip. I got to go to a really fun place to talk to a group of really nice people who share similar interests. My son had a blast and, in the future, he will be given the opportunity to interact with other adopted children.
Here’s what I’m trying to say in a nutshell. Even if you are like me (prone to shying away from groups), adoption support groups are different. Before you walk in, you already have a common bond with the adults and the kids. The group I visited was Families For Children (www.familiesforchildren.net) and they are based in Southeastern Michigan.
Would you like to share any support groups in your area?
I would just like to see a support group in my area! There is a group here that meets twice a year, at the Lunar New Year and Harvest Moon. We are the only family with a child from Korea, everyone else’s kids are from China. Still wonderful to get together, but we definately feel like outsiders. I also don’t feel like 2 times a year is enough to form a bond with these people. Still is a good resource though.