Tuesday, December 6, 2011

"So, are you ready to have another one?"

The little guy celebrated his first birthday a week or two ago. (Yes, one day I'll post about that too... maybe it will be the same "one day" when I finally upload all the pictures that are sitting, worthless, in my camera, on my memory card where nobody can see them.) Now when people ask how old he is, I respond "one year old." And you know what happens? They ask me one (or both) of these things: "Is he walking yet?" Ok, normal milestone kind of question. I'll accept that. But by far the more popular (and, to me, shocking!) question is "How many kids are you going to have? Are you going to stop at three, or go for more?", or, more bluntly put "So when are you going to have another one?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! He is the third baby! Some very respectful families are completely content with three (or possibly even less) children. And secondly, since when is it so prevalent in our society for everyone to have babies less than two years apart?! Goodness. Give me a break, please.

Have you gotten questions like this, too? Does anyone else find this line of questioning somewhat disturbing? Is it ok to ask a stranger, or someone that you don't know well, about their family size/desire to have more children/TTC and/or conception plans? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Adoption: Be a Prayer Warrior

Adoption is something that I feel strongly about. It's a cause very dear to my heart. Although we are not in a position to adopt right now, I often pray for those around the world who are orphans, or living in sad/abusive situations and need a loving home. Last month I found a very worthy organization who is fighting that battle and advocating for children with disabilities or medical conditions, children who are harder to place. Some of them have Downs syndrome, some have mild conditions that would easily be corrected with medication or surgery that is not available in their country, and some do not have a clear diagnosis. But all of them are parentless and destined to life in an institution, unless someone steps in to help them. Go to http://reecesrainbow.org/ to learn more about their ministry and specific ways that you can help. You can also click here to become a prayer warrior for a very special girl or boy who needs a home and a family. It's completely free; all it takes is a donation of your time. Maybe you will be the difference that child needs, in order to gain a better quality of life.