Everyday, I take time to express the gratitude I have for my life. I like to reflect on how lucky I am to have loving family, friends and influences to guide me through life. As an adopted child, I see life from a more grateful perspective because I know the reality in which I live could be drastically different.
In 2008, a young girl found out the most life-changing, and quite frankly, the scariest news a teenager could ever possibly receive: she was going to be a mother. She was not in the right place in her life to raise a baby, and guide them in the way they should go because she was still a child herself, and still needed to figure out all the ways of the world.
Although she knew she would not be able to raise her child, she wanted to keep it. The young mother considered many different options on what to do with the baby, and finally, she chose adoption.
Adoption isn’t a topic that people tend to speak on often due to it being a sensitive subject for families worldwide. The thought of a parent “giving up” their child can be too much for an outsider to comprehend, but families that have experienced adoption have the opportunity to see first-hand that the adoption process is not the end of a life but the beginning of a new one.
My adoptive parents always aspired to have a child to call their own, however my adoptive mother is infertile. Her infertility was a huge obstacle to overcome, but she did not let that challenge stop her. She made the decision to begin the adoption process.
Most people don’t realize that the adoption process is much more complex than just signing a few papers and getting a child. To adopt a child, you must attend court dates, fill out a plethora of paperwork, and in my case, my birth mother selected the family that appeared to be the best fit for me.
Although there are several unstable factors of my adoption process, one thing that I will always be able to stand firm on is my belief that my biological mother selected the best family for me. My adoptive parents have poured their love into me for as long as I can remember. I’ve never felt anything less than blood related. They are both constantly there for me, and leading me to be the best person I could possibly be.
Because my parents continuously treated me with the utmost kindness and grace, like I was biologically theirs, I didn’t even know of my adoption until one Sunday morning when I was 8 years old.
My church holds an annual “Sanctity of Life” Sunday on the third Sunday or every January. For the members of my church, “Kateleigh Brook Crowson day” is the preferred name. The intention of this day is to put emphasis on the importance of adoption and to honor my life.
After Sanctity of Life day in 2016, my parents treated me to a trip to Shreveport, Louisiana. My family takes day trips to Shreveport fairly often, so I just assumed it would be another trip, however this turned out to be the day my parents thought I was mature enough to hear that I am an adopted child.
Once we arrived in Shreveport, my adoptive parents took me to the Build-A-Bear shop at the Boardwalk. As I shopped around and selected a brand new bear, my parents anxiously waited to tell me the news. When I finalized the purchase, or “adoption” of my bear, my parents explained that I am adopted, and that the bear is more similar to me than I originally believed.
When I heard the news, I remember feeling shocked, but also thinking that this is an original experience that not too many people can say they’ve been through.
Although the beauty of adoption is something I hold super close to my heart, I tend to feel out of place at times. When my friends are talking about their biological parents, I wonder what that’s like to not think about the fact that there are other people out there that birthed them.
Doctor’s offices are the biggest challenge for my family and I. When we are filling out paperwork there are some questions that we are unable to answer. The underlying thought that there is not much background information on my health can be scary to think about at times, but having a family that I know will always provide for me in times of need is comforting.
People frequently ask me what I would tell my biological parents if the opportunity ever came up, and I always tell them the same thing: I would not ask them questions, but instead thank them for doing what’s best for me and my well-being.
Overall, adoption has and will continue to affect me for the rest of my life, however since I am surrounded by countless influences, I know I will never have to feel alone.
