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| From © The Flint Journal |
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Adoption participants honored |
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October 25, 2009By Scott Atkinson |
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GRAND BLANC TWP. - Ask Kimberly Roberson and Carroll Baker what a family is and the answer may be longer - and simpler - than you bargained for.
"It's quite a blend of just a lot of people who love each other and it's really great," said Roberson, 46.
She and her husband, Baker, were recently honored by Congressman Dale Kildee, D-Mich., through the Angels in Adoption program because of their advocacy for, and participation in, adoption.
Roberson and Baker adopted their two girls, 11-year-old Madeline and 9-year-old Molly, from Vietnam when they were both 3 months old. Roberson said that while they are a visibly adoptive family (Roberson and Baker are white) that doesn't change the fact that they're a family.
"I wasn't sure that we should be awarded for creating our family," Roberson said. "But it did also seem like a better way for us to be informed about the issues around adoption, and then an opportunity for the girls to participate with families that are like ours."
Kildee, an adoptive parent of two, met Kimberly Roberson about 25 years ago when she was an intern in his office.
"I came to know her as a warm and giving individual with a strong character, and I am happy to say those characteristics remain with her today," Kildee said. "To see Kimberly and Carroll interact with Madeline and Molly, or to hear them speak of their experiences as parents, is truly heartwarming."
As part of the honor, Roberson and the girls traveled to Washington, D.C., where they toured the city, stood just a few feet from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton while she spoke about adoption issues, received honorary Angels in Adoption pins at a special ceremony and went to a gala where, "we got all dressed up in fancy dresses," Roberson said.
Looking back on the trip, Madeline, smiling, remembers it as "tiring."
Madeline said the tour of the city was her favorite part and, even though she found Clinton's speech "boring," she said "it was pretty fun to be in the same room as her."
While proud of the Angels in Adoption honor, the parents both said they didn't adopt their girls for recognition or fancy parties. They just did it for a family.
The idea of family is something Roberson said she hopes she can pass on to other people.
"I can't tell you how much it irritates me to perpetually see in news articles the phrase, 'the adoptive child of,' or 'the adoptive parents of' because, they're just our children and we're just their parents, just like anybody else," Roberson said.
The couple still makes sure the girls' Vietnamese heritage isn't lost, however, holding special celebrations, such as the Vietnamese new year, Tet, at the city school. When the girls were 4 and 6 years old, they all traveled to Vietnam.
But with their experience adopting children, Roberson said it's redefined their understanding of what a family is.
Baker has three grown children and five grandchildren from a previous marriage, "who I totally claim as my grandchildren" Roberson said. "There's no reason that they're not."
Baker said he wasn't sure at first if he wanted to adopt 11 years ago, and now describes it as one of the most gratifying experiences in his life.
"It's difficult to talk about without tearing up," he said. |
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