I am a special child..not in the sense that I am handicapped (although I DO have epilepsy and have seizures and have to take medication to control them), but in the sense that I am adopted. I was adopted when I was three years old.
I came from Japan. I was born in Tokyo.
I have super-long, straight, blue-black hair that I wear loose or in a ponytail, and I have a round, olive-gold face, almond-shaped eyes that are golden-brown (more gold than brown), a snub nose, and a cleft in my chin; people say I am pretty. I am also tall for my age, but I am decidedly skinny. I weigh (MAYBE) 50 pounds soaking wet!
People say I have the body of a dancer or a gymnast. Which is just as well: I do both. I dance and take dancing lessons (tap, modern, and clog), and I am on my school's gymnastic team.
(I want to become an Olympic gymnast when I grow up. I often dream of winning the Gold Medal for the United States of America. I HAVE won a few medals on the local and state levels, so I guess I'm on my way!!)
But as I said earlier, I am adopted. I really don't remember much about my life before I was adopted and came to America; but I DO remember my family welcoming me at the airport and saying how much they loved me and how glad they were to have me in their family. That was nice, but it took some time getting used to them and the fact that I now had brothers and sisters.
I was a good kid, I'm told; I never fussed or caused any problems. I did as I was told, and I loved my new brothers and sisters, even when some of them weren't so nice towards me. My older brother, Ricky, was especially mean towards me, but I think it was because he was angry. (He had been treated badly before mom and dad adopted him; and he had a lot of problems.)
People often make fun of me because I AM adopted, but it really doesn't bother me all that much. I love my adoptive family, and I really didn't know anyone else other than them growing up. Sure, being adopted may bother SOME people, but it doesn't really matter to me. All I care about is the fact that I am loved, and that I have a family I can call my own. I don't care if my dad is American Indian or that my mom is part American Indian and French or that I don't look like them. They are my mom and dad, and that is all that matters. They love me, and I love them.
What more could I (or they) want?
I am just glad I DO have the family I do. Too many kids DON'T have a home OR a family, especially if they are older, handicapped, or of mixed race. These kids are often ignored because they aren't babies or don't have blonde hair or blue eyes or aren't healthy. People don't want to bother with such kids, especially if they have "special needs".
That is so sad. They are people, too, and they deserve a family just like anyone else!!
I'm just glad I was one of the luckier ones. I have a family I can call my own, and I have grown into a lovely young lady (as mom says). I think I have done pretty good for myself....
I don't agree being adopted myself and don't view adoption the same way. Neither do so many throw away adult adoptees that adoptive parents scream years later "wrongful adoption" when the children they adopt do not live up to their expectations.
Love, Karissa Anne
Reviewed by WASEEM AHMED
6/28/2002
Amazing the way it has been described, very heart touching and not that difficult to understand either.
All About how Lila chooses how to handle her "worries" about the first day of school. Another Mom's Choice Award Seal of Excellence recipient in the "Kids with Worries" book series.
