But, Mama! She’s My Sister!
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
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Kelly was a beautiful yellow kitten with golden stripes. She was so excited because Mama Cat was going to have a baby kitten. Kelly just knew she was going to have a little sister kitten! She couldn't wait to help Mama Cat hold and feed her. Kelly even dreamed of playing with her little sister when she got older.She was just going to love having a little sister!
One day Kelly asked, “Mama, can we name my sister Sara Robyn?” Mama replied, “Why, what a beautiful name! Yes, she will be Sara Robyn.”
Each week Kelly watched Mama Cat's tummy grow bigger and bigger with her little sister. She loved to watch as the kitten rolled this way and poked that way inside her mother. Kelly would place her little paw on Mama Cat's tummy and feel Sara Robyn move. She just couldn't wait for the kitten to be born.
One day Mama Cat told Kelly they needed to talk. Mama Cat sat in the big chair, pulled Kelly up in her lap, and held her tight.
“Kelly,” she said, “I am worried about being able to take care of Sara Robyn. I love you and the kitten very much. I can take care of you and give you the things you need. But I am worried that I will not be able to give Sara Robyn all the things a new kitten needs.”
Kelly didn't understand what Mama Cat was saying. All she knew was that she was suddenly very confused. Mama Cat told Kelly, “New kittens need more than love to grow big and strong. They need things like diapers and kitten-milk. New kittens also grow very fast so they need many new clothes for when they outgrow the old ones.”
Mama Cat was worried that she could not give Sara Robyn these or the other things she would need. Kelly cried out, “But Mama! She's my sister!
A note from the author:
Excerpt from My Adoption Journey:
Ever since I can remember, my parents have told me I was special because I was adopted. I am fortunate to have had that knowledge early on. I have known people who learned of their adoption later in life and were completely shocked. Their whole self-identity was suddenly, drastically changed. Some handled the news well, but others did not. …… I can't help but wonder how different my life would be if I had not been adopted. I thank Charlotte every day for having the courage to place me (she did not "give me up") for adoption. Because of her courage, I led a good life. Because of her courage, we did not have to live out the stigma of an unmarried woman with an illegitimate child in the Deep South of the early 1960s.
I have many hopes for this book. I hope it will help a birth parent explain to their children why an adoption plan is being made for a new baby. I hope this book will help the adopted child understand why their birth parents placed him or her for adoption. I hope it will help adoptive parents as they ask when should they tell their child he/she was adopted. I hope it will help the adult adoptee who may want to obtain de-identified information about his/her adoption, or, proceed even further and meet the birth parents. Most of all, I hope my story will help the reader during their own adoption journey.
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About the Book
Kelly Kitten is so excited that her mother is expecting a new kitten! She just knows the new kitten will be a little sister. Then one day Mama Cat tells Kelly that she wants more for the new kitten, more than Momma Cat can give her. Momma Cat loves the kitten and wants her to have everything she needs. Mama Cat wants to place the new kitten for adoption. "But Mama! She's my sister!" Kelly cries. What is this thing called adoption? What does it mean for Kelly? Kelly doesn't understand.
But, Mama! She’s My Sister! has grown into much more than a children's story. After after Kelly's story is another short story, "My Adoption Journey." It is the author’s hope that this second short story will be helpful for everyone in the adoption triad - birth parent, adoptive parent, adult adoptee, even foster parents. The author briefly describes the positive impact of always knowing that she was adopted has made on her life as an adoptee. She then goes on to describe her own experience as she made the decision to request an adoption search. It was a long road traveled with many emotional ups and downs but well worth the journey.
About the Author
After earning her Bachelor of Science in Social Work from West Texas A&M, Susan worked for a local non-profit agency, Catholic Family Service, Inc., in her hometown of Amarillo, Texas. Being an adoptee herself, Susan was always intrigued by agency's the Infant Adoption program. Eventually, Susan transferred to the Adoption and Foster Care Division to fill the role of Foster/Adopt Case Manager. At one point Susan spent 2 years in dual roles as both the Foster/Adopt Case Manager and as the Adoptive Parent Case Manager. She quickly learned that infant adoptions were where her heart belonged. During this time, Susan occasionally worked with birth mothers and was surprised to learn that many of them already had children at home. The seeds for this story were planted when Susan discovered there were virtually no resources for birth mothers. How does she explain to her children why she is making an adoption plan for her new baby? In an effort to fill that gap, Susan has tried to include as much of the infant adoption process as possible through the innocence of a young child's eyes. Susan and her family are now living in Virginia. They moved from Texas in 2004 when she was mobilized by the Army Reserves. Susan served a total of three years active duty at the Army's Quartermaster Center and School at Fort Lee, VA. Then, four months after her release from active duty Susan was deployed to Camp Ramadi, Iraq, where she served 8 months. Susan retired from the Army Reserves in 2009 as a Master Sergeant with 26 years in service.