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Kinley Galloway

Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 2010, Section 1

24 March 2020

Wonders of Adoption

I was only five years old when my brother, sister and I got put into foster care. My sister,

four years older than me and my brother, two years older. I was the youngest of four kids. Yes

four kids. I know I only said two siblings above. That is because I lost my second oldest brother

when I was three years old. Our Apartment swimming pool, my mother was focusing on me

because I was jumping into her arms, my brother decided to go to the deep end. No swimming

experience ever, tube floaty around his waist. He jumps in, the floaty slides swiftly off his body,

he sinks, I am jumping into my mothers arms, my sister is in the bathroom, my other brother is in

the shallow end diving for the shark toys. He tries to pull his body up from the bottom of the

pool, but it does not work. A minute too late my mother notices he is at the bottom of the pool.

My sister walks out, screams and my mother gives me to her, she dives to my lifeless brother.

Pulls him out of the pool, and calls 911. Many lights flashing, my mother screaming, my sister

and brother crying. Paramedics doing CPR on my lifeless brother. It feels like hours went by

when it was only a couple of minutes. They declare him dead. Traumatized little three year old.

Two years later my mother decided she was not capable of taking care of my siblings and

I. She decided to put us into Foster Care. The Christmas Box house was our first destination. We

were there for a few years. A very fun place for a little girl like me. We were treated well. Our

next destination was a Lady who’s name I will never forget. She took all three of us in so quickly

and loved us. She made us happy again. Her name was Emily. Emily was an older lady but she
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sure did not act old. She made us feel welcome and loved so quickly. At age seven I was not one-

hundred percent sure what was happening. My siblings had a better understanding because they

were older. They never talked about my mother and why we were put into another family. They

never mentioned her name. It was as if she was just a memory to us that was too hard to talk

about. I do not have many memories of my mother. There are days that I wish I did, and days

that I am thankful I do not. Giving us up when she did at first hurt me a lot. I remember thinking

it was because she did not love us. When I got older I realized it was because she did love us and

knew she was not able to take care of us anymore. There was a week that Emily had to leave

town. She was not able to take us with her so we went to this thing called Respite. It is sort of

like babysitting inside the Foster Care System. That week was when I met the family I call home

and my everything. When we came to this family for the week, instantly I knew I wanted to grow

up with this family. I felt loved and so warm. The week when I got back to Emily’s house I

remember wanting to go back to that family I was with for only a week. There was this

connection between all of us and I knew I wanted them to be my family. A couple months later

that dream of mine came true. We were put into that family for a couple months. Funny thing

those couple of months turned into years.

When they found out we were up for adoption they decided to adopt me because they

also felt the connection between us. I did get separated from my siblings. My siblings stopped

talking to me and we have not kept in contact with each other. There are days that I wish I kept

in contact with them but it is not the most important thing to me. When I was given the chance to

be adopted I was so excited. I was nine years old when I was adopted. I was filled with so many

emotions. Warmness, joy, love. Those are the three emotions that I feel when I hear the word

Adoption. It fills my soul with this happiness that is different from my other happiness that I
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usually feel when something good happens. This joy that I feel in my heart is because I went

through the process of being adopted. I was face to face with how the system of adoption goes

down. I was one of the children in our foster care system who was able to find a family that

wanted me. My family is the reason why I love the word Adoption. They gave me the chance to

be happy again.

Adoption has made my life so much better. It has helped me see the good in everything

and I have been able be more grateful for everything I have been given. My family has been in

the Foster Care System for many years. Last year we finally closed our license because we no

longer have room to take in any more kids. The system has helped me personally see that the

kids that are in this system are able to find a forever home. We have had several placements that

stayed with us for a couple of years and then got adopted by another family. I have watched

many people get adopted. Each time I watch another family adopt a child, I am brought back to

the day I was adopted. I can see the pure love and joy that each person has in their eyes. It is the

sweetest thing ever. My favorite part is watching the kid be announced a part of the family.

Adoption has impacted my life in the best way possible. I was given the opportunity to be a part

of a family who has made me feel special. I have been able to watch my two youngest siblings'

eyes light up when they first found out we were adopting them and on their adoption day how

excited and happy they were to be with us forever. Adoption in my opinion will always be

positive! I will always be able to see the pros of it and will always be able to know that by me

being adopted I am able to know that other children are able to have the same opportunity as I

did.

My experience with adoption has only impacted me in the most positive ways. I have

been able to see how these families change lives. My adoption day was fantastic, it was filled
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with pure joy. The day we adopted my siblings was like reliving my adoption day. Being able to

see these two children placed in our family permanently, made me realize that adoption is better

than anything. It brought so much joy to each and everyone of us. After my two youngest

siblings got adopted a month later I was able to watch a family's friends' sons get adopted into

their family. It started out with 2 little boys. Names are guarded for privacy. After this family

adopted these two children they adopted a little girl, and then after that a little boy. I have grown

to love every single person who has been adopted, rather it be in my family, or another one. Yes,

I have mentioned several pros to adoption, and yes there are cons, but I personally try to see the

pros more. In my life since I have gone through the adoption process, I am more biased towards

the goodness of it. In my opinion there are just so much more pros than cons. I am always going

to see the goodness of the adoption process because I have seen it in my personal life impact so

many families and even my own.