Several weeks ago, I met with a fun-loving and sweet 9-year-old to talk about adoption. Oh, and to talk about school, toys, friends, favorite foods, and stuff like that. Because that's just what typical 9-year-olds enjoy. And because my sweet friend was sharing with me a journal of thoughts about adoption, I created something for my friend to read too, and after snapping a photo of it and sharing it on my Facebook page (where I'm writing daily for #NationalAdoptionMonth and #FlipTheScript--"like" / join me there!), several of you asked for a printable version of it. And at long last, here it is.

I made a few small edits, but the gist is the same. At the suggestion of my 9-year-old friend, I made the bulleted statements into numbered statements instead ("Miss Tara, it would be easier to tell you about the ones I agree with if they were numbered..." -- yes, such truth!).

So without further ado, "Adoption: What I Think & What I Know". Clicking on the title of the document or on the image below should link to a printable pdf document.

And while I wish I could hang out with all of your awesome kids, perhaps you can talk through this document with your child, letting him or her know that an adult adoptee wrote this. Or perhaps it can simply guide some in-home conversations with your child. But I do hope its beneficial and cements the truth that the complexities of adoption can and should be discussed with our children.

Thoughts or other feedback?