Off the Top of My Head

A coworker this morning and I were talking by instant message and i was telling her about some of my kids bad choices as they are entering adulthood. She asked me, "how do you still push for families to take these kind of kids when you know what is most likely going to happen?"

Very quickly I responded this way (and much of it you have heard me say before, but I thought I'd show you what can come pouring out in less than 4 minutes)

Many reasons:
1) The kids need to have a choice. They need to see both sides. If we don't adopt them, they never even get a chance to see options.

2) Because sometimes the kids surprise you, and each kids deserves a chance to go the right direction.

3) Because society is stupid and teaches us that if something is hard we shouldn't do it. That's ridiculous. We are a weak pathetic society becuase we have been given permission to walk away from everything that builds character.

4) Because I am a different person than I would have been without raising these kids, even if they end up screwed up. As Bart says, "I adopted children thinking I could save them, but in reality, they have saved me."

5) There are moments of joy in the journey that are simply beyond comparison. When those moments come, they are worth the crap.

6) I have met people I never would have met had I not adopted these kids. The professionals and other adoptive parents have become great friends and taught me so much.

7) We have been able to influence the kids friend's almost more than the kids themselves. We have a 15 year old boy living with us this summer who we never would have met without our kids. We have had these kind of situations happen often where we have connected with kids we otherwise wouldn't have met.

8) God asks us to plant seeds. He doesn't ask us to harvest. He says that's His job.

9) The story isn't over yet. We're in the middle of it. I can't evaluate my success when I have a house full of teenagers. They still might "turn out OK."

10) The results for the kids if we don't do it are way too bleak. They are better off with parents, in fact they need parents even more, if they end up being big screw ups as adults. If we don't adopt them, they'll be big screw ups without parents, and that is tragic -- for them, and for society.

So, how's that? Not bad for 4 minutes.