the idea of family

so i read today during my lunch hour. it was nice. it was, of course, an adoption book. actually i should not say of course because this is the first adoption book since i initiated the ban after the first four. anyway the chapter i read was about family. oh, i should explain.

as it turns out family relationships in nontraditional families such as gay and lesbian households can be more complicated for a child to discipher. the causes of this is not simply based on having two parents of the same sex, but due to the traditional family makeup of many gay and lesbians in the nation. see, most people are not as lucky as me. many of them have distant if not strained relationships with their biological family members. this leads to a blended family made up of friends rather than kin. apparently this can be confusing to a child, which makes sense.

regardless of this conversation which can be deep and complicated, it did make me think about my family and its development over the years. my kid will have a strong traditional family for sure as my parents, siblings, cousins, etc. are very involved in each other's lives. beyond the traditional family i also have a handful of very close friends who will gain titles to my child. there are going to be extra aunts and maybe an extra uncle or two. so this is a good thing. i realize the impact of nonfamily members in my childhood, the active role they played both directly and indirectly in my own development. i am excited that my child will benefit from my friends and their experiencal advice.

so, family, yeah, it is definately one of those cheesy topics that get all mushy quickly, but i am grateful for the fantastic montly crew of individuals who will be my child's extended family network - just do not ask me to draw the tree.