After almost two years of watching, waiting, and hoping, it became official this morning. Mrs Pastor and I are now the proud adoptive parents of two children.
I should say very clearly that the time between the arrival of our children and their formal incorporation into our family has not been bad. It has been burdensome on occasion as we all settled in and as the children have worked through some of their issues. It has also been a long time coming. For many months, we did not know if their biological mother would contest the adoption. After that, it took a long while to work through the bureaucratic maze to get to this point.
But for the most part, it has been just like parenting any other children. There are good days and there are days when you wish you could sell them to the wolves. Truthfully, I don't know what has kept us going sometimes. The hand of God, I suppose, or some deep longing to do right by these children.
Even the last days were not without complication. I'm under quarantine until the doctors can confirm that I don't have the H1N1 virus. The judge was understanding, and allowed me to appear by phone. Otherwise, we would have had to postpone the hearing for at least two weeks. I was happy to get it done, even if it meant I couldn't be there in person.
As I point out in an column published in this morning's Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, in any given year, there are over 100,000 children eligible for adoption in the United States, many of whom will age out of the foster care system for lack of a home. Many of those children will be denied the chance to experience a loving family because of discriminatory laws that forbid same-sex couples to adopt.
Please, if you're in the market for a kid, consider adopting through the foster-care system. It's really not as difficult as it seems, and the rewards are great. And if you are unfortunate enough to live in a state that bans same-sex adoption, drop a line to your governor or state legislator. These laws are idiotic and antiquated.
With all of that being said, let's get on to what you all came here for. May I introduce to you my family: myself, Mrs Pastor, Abigail Laura Schultz (age 12) and William Daniel Schultz (just turned six):
Hi, guys. Papa loves you all very much, and he's bursting with pride today to know you're his "forever family."
Update: thanks for all the love. Unfortunately, part of being a family seems to involve spending time with the children. This rather limits my time to play on the internets. Had I known this, I might have thought twice before adopting. Back soon!