A reason to adopt: parenting

There are a lot of reasons why adoption can be an awesome thing for a family. Here is one of mine.

For me, the decision to adopt is a parenting decision. If I really want to raise my kids to be selfless and to consider others more important than themselves (and I think I do), I have to model that behavior.

If my behavior tells my children "Yeah, I know there are BAD, BAD orphanages out there, and that we qualify to adopt, but right now it is more important for Mama and Papa to make sure they have a lot of money (or time to themselves, or nice vacations, whatever)", what am I teaching them? That you'd better look out for yourself before helping anyone else. That considering others more important than yourself is dangerous, and shouldn't be done until you are good and ready.

That is not what I want to model! Committing to "Garnet" was, in part, me asking myself to step it up as a selfless parent. I still fail all the time, in little things and big things, but the ongoing adoption is a big reminder to me to consider others more important than myself, especially in front of Junior! Just being a mom at home is a pretty good way to practice that.

For our family, adopting is just a part of training up our children in the way they should go.