Parenting isn't Easy, but we Already Knew that

Last night, I was watching a live feed from "That Dad Blog". I started watching when receiving a notification from Instagram telling me that Alan, the man who runs that dad blog, had started a video and, curious, I decided to check it out.

Challenges for Parents and Children

The video was a good one. It was Alan walking down the road he lived on with his wife and children. As the family was walking, Alan was talking about how life had been going for him and his brood. The main focus of the video seemed to be his adopted daughter. His girl was born in Colombia. Learning English has been just one of the many challenges she has faced with her adoptive family. In addition to learning the language and customs of the family she is now living in, she is also dealing with the challenges that come with being a teenager and going to school.

To me, it seems she has a lot of support from her family, and I hope things are going relatively smooth for her in her life. My wife and I have also adopted children, but our children grew up in this country and already understood English. They were able to communicate with people in and out of school and were able to make friends.

Potato. Papa to You

Alan had some stories to tell about his family and how they were helping their daughter adapt to America. I particularly liked the story about his daughter writing a poem to her father and inadvertently called him "Potato". She was trying to figure out the English word for "Papa". Since "Papa" in Spanish can mean either "Dad" or "potato", his "hija" simply went with the first translation she found. Personally, I found it to be a rather endearing mistake.

Mastering a second language is no small feat. I commend Alan's daughter on her efforts to take on English. When I speak to people in Spanish at work, it's all I can do to understand what people are saying. It's a lot easier for me to speak Spanish than to listen to Spanish. In my opinion, Spanish speakers speak really fast, and it's hard for me to keep up with what they are saying. I wish their daughter the best in her efforts to learn and improve her English.

Adoption can be an arduous process and experience. You are bringing someone into your home. Both you and your new child are acclimating to a new life. There will be bumps on the way and growing pains for both sides. As a family, you are opening your home to another child. There is an additional person to care for, new responsibilities at school. It might even be an additional school to add to your list of schools to visit or buy supplies for. In addition, there are also additional mental and emotional challenges when you adopt a child. These challenges are on both sides, both for the parents, and the child. Plus, there are also the other children. These new siblings will have their own challenges to deal with.

Raising Kids isn't Easy

Raising kids isn't easy. That's why I decided to write about it. Sometimes, a story emerges from it, and then you can share that story. It might make people laugh, it might have a teachable moment for the children, or you or, someone you're sharing the story with. Either way, it reminds us that parenting isn't always easy and sometimes we are reminded of that. Sometimes, something happens that reminds us why we love doing it.