Have you ever wondered

how it would feel to be internationally adopted? perhaps, in fact, you were. if not, you might wonder what it is like to be suddenly immersed in a new life. join me for a moment of imaginary play. i invite you to picture yourself plucked from your familiar life and "dropped in the middle of nowhere."

you look around you. you are in a remote place in the middle of what seems like nowhere in particular. you have no maps or signs to tell you where you are. suddenly you are surrounded by strangers, all of whom are overjoyed to see you. these people smile, laugh, and talk loud and fast, and they act as if you can understand them. they touch your hair, your face, and your shoulders, and they hug you repeatedly. you notice they have a peculiar odor. they dress differently from anyone you have ever met. their language is unintelligible and sounds like gibberish. you have no clue how or why you are here. you have no idea if you will find your way back to your former life.

before we go further, check to see how you are feeling. SCARE TO DEATH is any part of your body tense? YES do any worries pop into you head? YES how might you feel about these overly friendly strangers? SCARED< UNSURE> GET ME OUTTA HER

you feel hand beginning to remove your clothes (after given your child you must remove the clothes they came in and put an outfit on you've brought for your child) and there, in the public, these strangers dress you in a new garments. some people appear to be assessing you, sizing you up, looking at your hair and teeth closely and noting any moles or scars on your body. you are given strange food and invited to play unfamiliar games. you are handed a container of strange liquid and encourage to drink it. everyone continue to laugh and smile and act as though this were a perfectly ordinary and normal situation. (parenting your internationally adopted child by: patty cogen 0

welcome to the mind & world of an internationally adopted child...this is how mallory will feel when she is placed in our arms... i will be overjoyed, crying most likely on an emotional high...mallory will be scared, unsure, frightened to name a few...in my reading & research to be the best mother i can be to mallory...i must remember she won't be parented initially the same as garrett & natalie were parented...she's coming from a totally different situation...many may ask or think to themselves "she'll be under 2, she won't remember much" that is 100% inaccurate...she will remember quit a bit of her first 2 years in a foster home & orphanage...due to many hurdles she won't be able to articulate how she is feeling


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