On my other blog, I wrote about family trees so I decided that I would bring forward a post that I wrote back in April. Link: Family Trees

In April, I was writing about ways that you can identify a child’s adoption on their family tree. Though, in some cases, this is a good thing. I was recently reminded that not all children want to put reminders of their adoption on their family tree. Especially in the pre-teen to high school years, many children are striving to be just like everyone else.

As I point out on my other blog:

The first time I had to do a project that required me to trace back my family history, I went home and asked my parents for help. It never occurred to me that I should use anything other than my adopted family.

However, as I thought about it a little more, I also realized that I didn’t have any information to put on it – even if I had wanted to. Looking back at my own personality and considering my own sense of identity, I think I would have acknowledged my birth parents if I had had any information. Generally, I liked the idea that I was adopted and often showcased it when I could.

However, I also wanted to point out that:

My sister would have been horrified by the very mention of the idea (thus reminding us that all Korean adoptees are different).

The fact that my sister is also a Korean adoptee has been good for me. It reminds me almost constantly that we were all different and that we will all have different reactions. Without her, it would have been easy for me to think that all Korean adoptees thought just like me. Since I know better, now I just have to sit back and watch my son grow into whoever he decides to be.

If you would like to comment, but not on this site, please e-mail me at adoptkoreablog@adoptionmail.com.