So, Does She Speak English?

For the record, yes, my daughter who has been living in the Unites States for the last 2 1/2 years does indeed speak and comprehend the English language. She may not be speaking to you because she is a toddler and shy around strangers, but like many other kids, she has very good verbal skills because we encourage (read: force) her to use proper sentences.

Seriously, what is with people?

We have been pretty fortunate with the inappropriate questions about Gracie, but we do get them. “Does she speak English?” is our favorite, but here are a few other good ones:

Does she know who you are?

Why didn’t you adopt a baby from the US?

Does she eat with chopsticks?

Do you have her real mom’s information?

Is she yours?

Why am I talking about this? Mainly, in many of these cases, the questions are coming from loved ones or from people who have a genuine interest. I think that most people don’t realize questions like this can be intrusive, or even offensive.

I will share that the “chopstick” question came from a family member when Gracie was 12mo. We took it in stride, and said she was still learning. When they came back for a visit a few weeks later, we decided to play a joke on them and made up a mini-set of training chopsticks and put them on the tray of the highchair.

Kidding aside, anyone waiting on an adoption needs to be prepared to field these, especially the “bad” ones. Prospective adoptive parents generally have a rehearsed set of answers for the common ones. Whenever we get asked where Gracie is from, we very nonchalantly answer with the town we currently live in. The more offensive questions get straight-up answer with the “death-stare.”