Moments with Enu » Four Against Two

Adoption and School Projects

A Mom's Job, Adoption, Ethiopia, Family, Family Pictures, Moments with Enu, Parenting 3 Responses »

Jan 262012

Enu came home yesterday all excited about the time line project assigned to her class. She has to have at least 3 pictures and 5 events on her timeline including birth and present day.

I honestly don’t remember Mita doing this assignment last year, but I do remember Meg doing it. This makes me wonder if it was assigned to Mita and she didn’t make a big deal about it or if she kept the assignment on the down-low because it was a big deal to her. Hmm. I must go through the projects I kept from last year and see if I can find it.

Back to yesterday. I told Enu that I would have to get on the computer and order prints as we are a digital family and I rarely have extra prints hanging around. We discussed what pictures she wanted and what her events on the time line were going to be:

1- Birth in Ethiopia – She wanted a baby picture of her and her dad that we have.

2- Mom dying when she was 3.

So when she mentioned this I gently said,”Honey, if you put this down people are going to ask you about it.” She shrugged and said that it was fine.

3- Adoption and movie to the USA.

4- Disneyworld for the first time.

5- Being at 4th grader.

I am planning on supporting her wishes, but I am also going to have a back up picture in case she changes her mind at the last-minute. I will also let her teacher know what is coming so she isn’t put on the spot.

I applaud her for being truthful and authentic in her project. I admire her strength for acknowledging what she has done through. I am so worried that this may trigger something and she will have a bad experience at school. I’m running this by Hubby to see what he thinks.

I think this will also be a lesson-learner for the other kids in the class. Not everyone has an all-happy timeline to share, even 9 year olds. That said I hate that my children seem to be the models for adoption and diversity at school as that is a lot of pressure on a kid. If anyone out there has traveled this path I would love some advice!

Pure Delight

A Mom's Job, Moments with Elle, Moments with Enu, Moments With Meg, Moments with Mita, Parenting, Teendom 1 Response »

Jan 072012

Watching the girls grow up is downright amazing. I’ve said in the past that when they are small you are so exhausted and tired of saying “no”, of doing the diaper thing, the potty training thing, the sharing thing that you tend to not pay attention or appreciate fully the gains. You are just happy to be through them.

As they get older and the achievements are more out of the hygiene realm, watching them grow, learn and become who they are meant to become is nothing less than miraculous. I have found that every morning they come out of their rooms one step closer to adulthood and it makes me want a pause button in some ways and an applause button in other ways.

Where did Meg, long-legs Meg, get her confidence? Both Hubby and I didn’t have great self-confidence growing up, yet she is strong, solid and humble in her self. I’ve had teachers and other adults tell me how kind she is and how she isn’t a braggart in her accomplishments.

Mita. My dear Mita has blossomed into a young woman (seriously, have you seen her?!). She is quiet and works so hard. She is reading up a storm and is a straight A student. Straight A’s for a child who four years ago knew no English! Her room is her castle and she loves to clean it and take pride in her appearance. The outfits she puts together dazzle and are stunning. How does she make sweats look glamorous?! Her heart. Her heart has had more sorrow than many have had in a lifetime, and yet she is healing. She gives me spontaneous hugs and I love yous. She calls me Mommy sometimes. I love to just stare at her. She doesn’t like that so much though!

Enu. Enu is the child who is teaching me patience and perseverance. She is growing by leaps and bound physically and emotionally. She is finding herself slowly, but it is happening. She is great with young kids and as of right now she is helping me watch my niece. She will be a great babysitter in just a few years. Her smile is contagious, and she really is quite funny. It will be great to watch her harness her energy in the years to come.

Elle. Elle is my elfin fairy for sure. She is now seven and I look at what Meg was like at seven and they are so different yet alike. Elle is becoming very funny, almost a dry sense of humor in some ways. Her comebacks make Hubby and I look at each other and smile. She can take care of herself just fine in a pack of four sisters! She still plays with toys, which makes me sooooo happy. For Christmas she got an iPod and a Lalaloopsy doll and she will walk around playing with both at the same time. She still cuddles which makes me think she will always be a cuddler! Yeah! My baby reads. My. Baby. Reads.

Watching my girls grow is truly a pure delight. I am overwhelmed with how fast everything is going. Meg is talking about college (of course she has always talked about college, but now I picture it happening!). Hubby and I find ourselves talking about a third car for the girls to share.

I know that talking about your kids growing up is a well-worn topic. I’ve heard for years how it goes by quickly. It makes me ache that this is so true but at the same time I love, love, love watching them learn, grow and burst into the world. If I have anything to do with how wonderful these children are it is my greatest honor in life. My work is done, everything else is a bonus.