Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Adoption. It's a beautiful thing

Simone Biles Was Adopted by Grandparents Ron And Nellie | The Daily Caller:

Ron and Nellie Biles adopted Simone and her sister in 2001 after they spent time in foster care becasue (sic) their biological mother — Ron’s daughter — struggled with drug and alcohol abuse.

During coverage of the Summer Olympics in Rio, Al Trautwig referred to Ron and Nellie as Simone’s grandparents.  When a viewer criticized him for doing so, Trautwig defended his decision and said, “They may be mom and dad but they are NOT her parents.”

When she was asked about what Trautwig said, Biles had a simple response.
“I personally don’t have a comment,” “My parents are my parents and that’s it.”
I never heard of Simone Biles before today, and I haven't been following the Olympics.

But I'm personally pleased to learn that another "wanted child" has no doubts about whose child she is.

 I have two nieces who may not have been born into the family, but they most certainly ARE family.  They are my nieces, they call their parents MOM and DAD.   They call me "Uncle".
I call them loved.   My sixteen grand-nieces and grand-nephews are my family, too, including a few (of recent years) "great-grands".  And yes, I lose count, but they forgive me.

Their family is the people who raised them, who cherish them, and who stand up for them in the bad times and applaud them in the good times.   Their family will rush them to the hospital when they break an arm, and comfort them when they are ill, and are firm-but-gentle when they do wrong, and pay all the bills no matter what.   What else would a parent do? (Everything!)

I know a lot of people who were raised by their "birth parents" and didn't benefit from the support and guidance which these ladies have received ... and I'm speaking of my nieces and Simone Biles.

When people* correct someone about whose child they are, because of an accident of birth, it merely reveals that they don't really understand people.

Adopted children have a special blessing;  they know for their whole lives that they were really, truly wanted.  

How many of the rest of us can make that claim?

*(The guy was probably a Democrat).

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