Tag Archives: adoption

A new tattoo to illustrate the ineffable

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

“Wow, you had a tattoo before it was cool to have a tattoo,” said Mike, the guy planning my inking session said. He clarified, “Okay, tattoos are cool no matter what, but 20 years ago, there were only a couple … Continue reading →

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Building nests: nighttime comfort and belonging

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Monkey Man and Gorilla Girl have, for the last several months, even for the last couple of years, been traveling in the middle of the night from their beds to ours. We have developed several theories about why they insist … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, children, family, motherhood, night time rituals | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The accidental friends: unexpected gifts of adoption

Posted on April 23, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

One of the coincidences of being an adoptive parent is that almost automatically, you have a bond with other adoptive parents. Most of us have many stories to tell about the whys and hows of our choice to build families … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, children, community, connection, family, friendship | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Imprints: Jeanette Winterson’s musings on adoption

Posted on April 15, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Jeanette Winterson has just written a memoir.  I’d read her first novel, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, a semi-autobiographic novel that begins with the protagonist’s revelation of her adoption.  I read Oranges in college, and despite Winterson’s memorable protagonist,  … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, book review, children, family | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Family day: a momentous occasion

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I was reminded by Ed today that it was this date in 2007 — five years ago — that we adopted Monkey Man and Gorilla Girl.  I have never been good with dates, and routinely forget birthdays and even my … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, family, identity, loss, memory, tradition | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Cheese-topped onion soup: lessons in patience

Posted on February 24, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

Dorie’s recipe for cheese-topped onion soup says you have to be patient while waiting for the onions to brown.  Patience is one of those things that it is easy to have in abundance at the front end, but much harder … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, cheese, family, family meals, food, motherhood | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

What do sick days and cotton candy have in common?

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

It’s been a while since Monkey Man and Gorilla Girl were sick enough not to go to school, but when it comes, illness seems to linger like the stickiness of remembered carnival cotton candy. Like cotton candy, though, and despite … Continue reading →

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“Một con vịt”: what “sisters” teach

Posted on January 19, 2012 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

When Monkey Man and Gorilla Girl were three, we visited an older Vietnamese woman, Nu, who taught them a little Vietnamese–counting from one to ten, the words for airplane, dog and duck. Nu also was a surrogate grandmother who fed … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, connection, corn, family, food, identity, language, lessons, teaching, Tet, tradition | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Personal questions

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

I was picking up a former college roommate from Midway Airport a couple of days ago, and because of the sudden thunderstorm, Monkey Man, Gorilla Girl and I had to wait longer than expected for her arrival.  While we waited, … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, community, connection, identity | Tagged , , , | 9 Comments

Summer movies, adoption style

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Necessity is the Mother of Invention

We took Monkey Man and Gorilla Girl to see Kung Fu Panda 2 over the Memorial Day weekend.  Monkey Man has been obsessed with Kung Fu Panda, and our whole family knows the story. The first time I watched the … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, fairy tales, family, identity, memory, movies, summer | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment