I have an extremely unique family. I am one of 9 kids. I am the youngest of five biological boys, and then I have 4 younger siblings who are all adopted. I remember when my parents first told me that we would be adopting a baby, I had no clue what that really meant at the time because I was only around 6 or so. I was just so happy that I wasn’t going to be the youngest in the family anymore and that I would have a little sibling to play with.
Growing up with adopted little siblings has come with ups and downs. Adoption is common in the Bryn Athyn community, but outside of the community I have gotten looked at differently for having little siblings of color. You can get different reactions when you tell people you have adopted kids in your family. Sometimes people say somethings along the lines of “that’s amazing, bless your family” and other times you will get a reaction of “oh”.
Having adopted siblings has allowed me to become a better person and better understand different races. I think I wouldn’t be who I am today if my parents didn’t decide to adopt children. It has opened my view on people and the world in general.
With all the bad things that are happening in our society today I want to pave the way for my little siblings so that nothing bad ever happens to them out in the real world.