Searching for a Meaningful Gift?
Continuing the adoption conversation through gifts…
As we were preparing for the holidays, I pondered, as many parents do, what to get my child. I wanted to pick something that would excite her. At 3 1/2 years old, she absolutely loves playing with her animals and her dolls, all with names crafted by her. At preschool, she is always taking care of one of the baby dolls, putting them to sleep or giving them a bottle. My older daughter has an American Girl doll, but that didn't seem like the right choice. My husband said, "couldn't we just get her any doll?"
Well, of course my answer was "no," but it wasn't until later that I realized why. After reflecting on my own childhood, I remembered my most favorite doll. Cynthia. She was my Cabbage Patch Kid from 1983, and she had long, brown hair made of yarn and brown eyes. I loved her dearly and reminiscing about her brought up all kinds of warm feelings. I wanted that for my daughter.
Of course, I couldn't ignore the connection to adoption. And truthfully it excited me. Every Cabbage Patch Kid comes with:
An official birth certificate from Babyland General Hospital.
A unique name and birthday, just like your child.
Adoption papers, including an adoption oath.
In our home, the word adoption is filled with love and hope, which is not to be confused with toxic positivity. We read about adoption in books, and we talk about adoption as it pertains to them and others in this world. The beauty and the hard. There are no expectations. There are no wrong questions. And there is room for any and all feelings.
This little doll I have purchased will hopefully become a childhood treasure, just like mine was. But possibly more importantly, it will serve as yet another jumping off point to continue the open dialogue around adoption, specifically on a level my young child can grasp.
So, if you've created your family through adoption, (or knows someone that has) and are looking for ways to introduce the concept or continue the conversation, I encourage you to revisit the world of Cabbage Patch Kids.