What is adoption?

One time I picked up Miguel from his cousin's house, and my Tito Diego pulled me aside to ask "Why it is that you're the only one (among the siblings) who's thin?" My answer: "Because I'm adopted! Hahahahaha!" What else could I say?

So on the way home Miguel wanted to know what was so funny about my being adopted.

That was when I had to explain that it was just a joke, and that I really wasn't adopted, and that adoption isn't a bad thing but a good thing, yadda yadda yadda.

But wait! Does he even understand what adoption is?

"What is adoption?," I ask.

"It's when somebody gets adopted," he says.

"No," I say. "I mean, um, what is the opposite of adopted?"

"Unadopted?" he replies. His smile is audible.

"No, no. Give me a definition of adoption, like, Adoption is...what?"

"Adoption is when some phoneybaloney people pretend to be your parents so that they can make you do household chores."

Wahahahaa! He understands.

What he's reading now

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. A gift from the tooth fairy. In fact, the tooth fairy brought him to Fully Booked last April 18 so he could buy the book himself.

The tooth fairy even treated him out to fries and a strawberry slushie...what a tooth fairy!

Hmm. It shouldn't be a coincidence then that this picture was taken in his dentist's office.

Favorite summer images