My husband was worried about how his family would react when we told them about the adoption. His family is big on family roots and he just wasn’t sure if they would embrace it or be wary of it. I was a little worried myself. There was one conversation I had with his parents before we were married. They were talking about my father-in-law’s brother and they kept stressing that he was an adoptive brother.

I thought that was a little odd. When I talk about my sister, I don’t call her my adoptive sister. When I talk about my parents, I leave off the adoptive part as well. They only time I use it is when I am explaining the relationship to curious bystanders. So, why was it important to them that I understand that the brother was adopted?

I’m glad that I’m not someone who jumps to conclusions. I’m glad that I take a step back and think before I attack. Was this a deliberate attack on my status? Was this ignorance and old-fashioned thinking? It’s often hard to tell. In this case, I’m pretty sure it was old-fashioned behavior and not meant as an insult. That probably has something to do with the fact that my in-laws would never do anything to hurt someone.

As it turned out, his family accepted the adoption without blinking. So, we basically spent eight years and a few months worrying about absolutely nothing. They barely blinked when my husband told them we were going to adopt from Korea. In fact, I think they were expecting it. Sometimes, we underestimate people.