a spelling list

Life has an interesting way of timing things. Just yesterday I wrote a comment on Inger's blog about my kids and tehir birth families - how they were unaware of their siblings. It is difficult to know when they are ready for information, and I have been anxious about withholding information from 6 about her 2 siblings.

Her spelling list this week included family nouns - mother, father, sister, brother etc. She was writing sentences for each of the spelling words and came to the word brother. "I do not have a brother." she said...then "Hmm, well, I assume I don't have a brother, but we don't really know do we?" "What do you mean?", I asked. "What if 'K' had another baby and did that again?"

I know that 'did that' means gave the child up for adoption. With the question out there, I cannot lie. So I explained the fact she haas a brother and a sister - both older than her. They were not placed for adoption, but they do not live with her birthmom. She asked their names, their ages and whether they were brown or white. She asked where they lived. I told her all I knew. Tense - waiting for the response...

Arms flew up in the air like a football touchdown. "Yea!", she said "I got to be with you!"

Whew - for now...

This is only the beginning. I'll have to watch for another opportunity to open up for discussion. The initial hurdle is over, but I know my girl will be churning this new information around in her mind. Her teacher should know. Who knows how this will come out? But at least another piece of her story is out.

And on we go.