Benjamin's Curiosity

If you know my boys, then you know they don't have a dash of shyness, which is funny considering that they are MY kids. Well, we have talked a lot with the kids about what birth moms are so they have a general idea of why some babies are placed for adoption. Benjamin was so curious about this that a few weeks ago he asked me who his birth mom was, and he sounded somewhat upset when I told him it was just me because he wanted to have a different birth mom.

We went grocery shopping today, and Benjamin chatted with everyone in the store, as he always does. The ladies who give out the samples even know him by name and know what his favorite cookbooks are. As we made our way to the checkout, the cashier was a young man that we don't really know, but the bagger was a nice older man who Benjamin probably thinks is an extra grandpa of his or something. Benjamin grabbed one of the free lollipops at the checkout and was happily eating it when he suddenly asked me (loud enough for everyone within a hundred feet to hear), "Are you my real mom?"

I was a bit startled by the suddenness of the question, but I smiled and said yes. I should have anticipated the rest, but I didn't. He asked, practically shouting, "Are you my birth mom?" By now, I was both giggling and blushing, but I replied that I am, in fact, his birth mom, too.

The cashier and the bagger were both laughing, and the bagger said, "Interesting questions. You're a little embarrassed, aren't you." I just said that I'm used to it. Certainly, the time and place were somewhat unusual for that discussion. Of course, Benjamin isn't the first person to wonder if he is adopted. I have had other people wonder that about him as well, since he looks nothing like his dad or older brother. Apparently, Benjamin just realizes that being adopted is special, and he sometimes wishes he had been adopted.