Today I am writing this post after a 'good' parenting day, not yesterday when I actually made the recipe for sweet bread twists, Ragaliki, a Russian bread fried in oil and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Oh we enjoyed these yummy twists of fried dough for breakfast, but things soon devolved. Yesterday became a 'hard' parenting day, which ended with me slumping numbly on the couch rather than writing anything at all. See, we have a three year old, which is a challenging age for sure, but when you add in adoption issues and behaviors, things get crazy.
Suki is funny and charming and resilient and absolutely lovable. He plays Robin to his brother's Batman, gobbles chocolate ice cream like a pro, and asks for Jingle Bells as his lullaby in April. Today I played rousing games of soccer and Frisbee with him and his brother, followed by Thai food with extended family, before reading his favorite Elmo bedtime story. Overall a lovely, lovely night.
One of the realities of adoption that often gets overlooked though is that there are many days that are hard, exhausting, and overwhelming. There are layers of trauma, health issues, attachment, emotional disregulation, and power struggles that can cloud each developmental stage, each moment of the day it sometimes seems. Even the most simple parenting decision can twist you up inside, wondering did you handle it the right way, did you become too rigid, too indulgent, too whatever. And sometimes you use all the resources at your disposal and still fall short.
Our family is fast approaching our year anniversary of coming home from Thailand with our youngest son. The adoption of our Suki will always be a joy for us, always. I love him deeply and forever. With this anniversary, we celebrate the completeness of our family, even as we acknowledge that the road ahead may twist and turn. Some days are hard, but we will always have each other.
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