I was going to try to think of something cute and amusing for todays post, but I really hate April Fools Day. So, I opted for the same old same old. I am an April Fools Day scrooge.

The information that I put into my bio on this site is really my standard answer when someone asks me why I adopted from Korea. It’s really a little more complicated than that, but sometimes I get explanation fatigue so I simplify my answers. So, today I was thinking that it would be helpful if I was a little more detailed.

My general response is that I decided to adopt from Korea when my sister came. This is true (kind of). I was about nine years old and the whole process was amazing to me. First, I got to be a part of the whole process so it helped me understand how I came to be adopted and, second, I really wanted a baby sister. I remember waiting at the airport and telling my mother that someday I was going to be the mommy at the airport. This certainly started me on my journey towards adoption, but it wasn’t the whole story.

Many people assume that I adopted from Korea because I was adopted from Korea. To some degree, this is true too. If I hadn’t been adopted, would adoption have been the first thing I thought of? Probably not. Adoption in my family (with myself, my sister, friends) was common place so it was right up at the top of my list with the other option – pregnancy.

For awhile, I wasn’t sure that I even wanted children. While my friends talked about how many they wanted to have, I would cautiously mention that maybe I would like one. I have always been very fond of children (I almost became a teacher.), but I was just as fond of giving them back to their parents when the visit was over. It was the grandparent theory – spoil them and then give them back. That really suited me well for the first few years of marriage.

Here’s another truth that helped me make my decision. I am a person who values my comfort. Some people might even call me a little high maintenance (but never out loud). The thought of being pregnant for nine months simply horrified me. I watched my cousin and my friends go through the nine months and they obviously didn’t mind it because they all did it multiple times. However, it just wasn’t for me. So, when I decided that yes I really did want to be a mommy, it was adoption that flew up to the top of the list.

Every one of us gets to this point from a different starting point and sometimes it’s a longer race. Me, I value my comfort…so, in this case, you found me lounging at the finish line on a bed of pillows. I might have broken a sweat when I was looking for a pen to complete the preliminary application. I’d love to hear your story.

If you would like to respond, but don’t want to post to this site, please feel free to e-mail me directly at adoptkoreablog@adoptionmail.com.