For the Critics

The following is opinionated and somewhat harsh.

Maybe I should just be quiet as this too shall pass but I really feel the need to comment. To all the critics out there and you know who you are. I've read your comments and normally I wouldn't pay any attention but my heart aches for the future of adoption, Ethiopian, domestic, and other international. Your uneducated musings about why Americans adopt are ridiculous and dangerous. You have no idea why one individual family chooses to adopt and thus, you shouldn't speculate. I don't really care what you say about me amongst yourselves. I'm sure you are saying it just to make yourselves feel better or probably you have nothing better to talk about. Adopting Rowan was a calling from God. It was God who pointed us to Ethiopia. It was He who chose this tiny, malnourished, sick child and entrusted us to care for him. Rowan is my son, MY SON! and I will rise up as fierce as a mother grizzly bear to defend him if I have to. It is our right to call him what we want, not yours, not the kebele's, not the orphanage staff. He was abandoned. His biological parents did not name him. We did! We who love him, adore him, care for him, feed him, change him, read to him, snuggle with him, hug him, kiss him, comfort him, teach him. We are his family, not you. We're not perfect. We know that. We're not black. We're not Ethiopian. We don't speak Amharic. I can make injera and dora wat but you probably wouldn't eat it. We're doing the best we can with what God gave us. He will provide what we need to raise this child to be a proud Ethiopian-American. You may criticize us and all AP's but unless you have a better idea of what to do with the 143 million orphans around the globe, please keep your backward opinions to yourself.