I'm taking a seat at the Open Adoption Roundtable, where the assignment for the week of Father's Day is:
Let's start with Andy, Reed's first father. Reed was a complete surprise to his first mother, Michele, making himself known just hours before he was born. Michele and Andy had not been together for months; he had moved to another state.
We have scant information on him. I once used an email address that I *think* was his to send him some photos of Reed. We did not hear back.
If I could tell him just a few things, it would be: "Reed is so lovable and loving and intelligent and wondering and adorable and he tries his best at everything. He is a son any parent would be extremely proud of. You must have all these qualities, too. I wish you would get in touch with us -- it would mean a lot to Reed."
Next up is Joe, Tessa's first father. Joe has been part of our extended family since last year. We've had some bumps in the road -- not any one's fault, but rather the nature of a union after 7 years of separation. Joe has handled things better than I had expected, always respectful and always keeping Tessa's well-being in mind. I suspect the reunion has been hard on him.
What I will say to him on Father's Day when we call: "Thank you so much for all the gifts you gave Tessa, and for being in our lives to help make her whole. It's time for us to get together again."
Finally, there is DaDa, what our kids call Rob (I love it; it's sweet).
Rob is a storybook dad. He is interested in everything and he exposes our children to his passions: music, sports, fixing things, cooking, history, language, travel. He is a man of his word who models compassion, patience and zest for life. One of the things I love most about him is that he loves to get at the kids' level and be a kid with them. Perhaps the wisest thing I've ever done was choose him to be a father to my children.
To Rob, I will say: "You continue to amaze me with your ability to always know how to handle whatever comes up in exactly the wisest way. Now, let's find a sitter and have a Date Night. We haven't seen a movie since 2001."
Click over to Production Not Reproduction to see what other open adoption bloggers have to say on this topic.
Write about the father(s) in your family's open adoption(s).
In our case, there are three. Rob, Joe and Andy.Let's start with Andy, Reed's first father. Reed was a complete surprise to his first mother, Michele, making himself known just hours before he was born. Michele and Andy had not been together for months; he had moved to another state.
We have scant information on him. I once used an email address that I *think* was his to send him some photos of Reed. We did not hear back.
If I could tell him just a few things, it would be: "Reed is so lovable and loving and intelligent and wondering and adorable and he tries his best at everything. He is a son any parent would be extremely proud of. You must have all these qualities, too. I wish you would get in touch with us -- it would mean a lot to Reed."
Next up is Joe, Tessa's first father. Joe has been part of our extended family since last year. We've had some bumps in the road -- not any one's fault, but rather the nature of a union after 7 years of separation. Joe has handled things better than I had expected, always respectful and always keeping Tessa's well-being in mind. I suspect the reunion has been hard on him.
What I will say to him on Father's Day when we call: "Thank you so much for all the gifts you gave Tessa, and for being in our lives to help make her whole. It's time for us to get together again."
Finally, there is DaDa, what our kids call Rob (I love it; it's sweet).
Rob is a storybook dad. He is interested in everything and he exposes our children to his passions: music, sports, fixing things, cooking, history, language, travel. He is a man of his word who models compassion, patience and zest for life. One of the things I love most about him is that he loves to get at the kids' level and be a kid with them. Perhaps the wisest thing I've ever done was choose him to be a father to my children.
To Rob, I will say: "You continue to amaze me with your ability to always know how to handle whatever comes up in exactly the wisest way. Now, let's find a sitter and have a Date Night. We haven't seen a movie since 2001."
Click over to Production Not Reproduction to see what other open adoption bloggers have to say on this topic.
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13 comments:
Great post. I love reading your posts about open adoption.
Rob sounds so like my husband! We did good in the Daddy department.
Great post.
I am so interested in hearing about open adoption, thanks for sharing! Happy Father's Day to your DH. :)
Gosh, I am oblivious. Because it absolutely did not occur to me that this weekend was Father's Day. Thanks for the reminder!
I think you should tell Rob instead, that "You continue to amaze me with your rock-hard body, and that awesome look you've got going when you're shirtless.". That's so much more meaningful than what you said - nudge nudge wink wink;-)
Wow - I had a really warm, fuzzy feeling until I read Chicklet's comment, then I laughed so hard I fell out of my chair!
I have so many hopes for my Hubby as a father. When I think of parenthood, I think of the old saying, "It's the greatest challenge you'll ever love." It sounds like you guys haved it nailed!
Though Chicklet's rewrite will get you farther on the date night, I do love this line: "Perhaps the wisest thing I've ever done was choose him to be a father to my children."
I love how gracefully you have handled this. And, why did I not realize you adopted through Lutheran Family Services? I really don't know how I missed that.
ROFL at chicklet's rewrite of what you will tell Rob.
Your post made me sniffle.
Chicklet's comment made me crack up. :D
Rob is a hottie -- not only because he is an awesome father, husband, friend and person, but because he's just plain hot!
Happy Father's Day!
I am always in awe of how you've been able to meld together so many people into your children's lives, family is truly more complex than many of us believe.
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Just my two cents cause both DH and I had fathers who weren't so hot. Father's day belongs to those who stick around to do the job, not those who contributed genetic material.
Thanks for sharing your journey in open adoption.
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