Over the last couple weeks Elizabeth has started referring to China as "my China". It's really quite cute. It's done very sweetly and with pride -not with a mean spirited "it's mine, not yours" kind of attitude.
Then she started adding in "my China...not you China, my China"...again, not mean spirited...just seemingly a realization that China is something very special to her and only her (well, you know what I mean -we all love China and our experience there..but it IS where she was born. :) )
It's so fun to see her eyes light up when she says "my China". :)
Tonight at dinner she was eating her spaghetti very much in a Chinese way...head bent right over the plate and scooping the noodles up right into her mouth. She always does this -and it's just so neat to see that even though SHE is out of China, China isn't out of her. anyway -I commented something to that effect to John, like "isn't that cute? she still eats noodles just like she's in China"
Elizabeth perked up, finished her mouthful of noodles and said,
"my China?"
me:"yes, Elizabeth -YOUR China"
me:"yes, Elizabeth -YOUR China"
E:"mommy, no you China, my China"
me:"yes Elizabeth, mommy isn't from China, YOU are from China"
E: "mommy -no daddy China"
me:"yes Elizabeth, not daddy's China either"
E: "mommy -not Andoo (Elizabethan for Andrew!) China"
me: "yes Elizabeth -not Andrew's China either"
E: "no Becca China"
me: "that's right Elizabeth -not Becca's China either -you are the only one from China here" :)
E: big grin plastered on her little face -"MY CHINA".
E: big grin plastered on her little face -"MY CHINA".
one of the biggest pieces of advice we received when we embarked on this adoption journey was to always speak highly of our child's birth country...to try to instill in them a pride of their heritage.
For some reason I thought that would be something we did later on when Elizabeth was older, but it has already happened. She already seems to have this feeling of awe and wonder of her homeland. and a sense of pride.
For some reason I thought that would be something we did later on when Elizabeth was older, but it has already happened. She already seems to have this feeling of awe and wonder of her homeland. and a sense of pride.
I can't tell you how happy that makes me. We fell in love with China those 15 days we were there. the people. the culture. the land.
it's amazing.
I hope and pray she will always have this sense of pride and awe about her heritage.
it's amazing.
I hope and pray she will always have this sense of pride and awe about her heritage.
and that she will always eat her rice and noodles the way she learned how in HER CHINA. :)
6 comments:
That is precious!!!
That is so stinkin cute! I love that you shared this story.
Jaxson says the same thing and it is the cutest thing. It just amazes me at such a young age that they know that China is a whole different place not just the next town.
Too, too cute! I can almost hear her saying it. :) i can't wait for M to understand more about HER China. We met another girl at church the other week and her mom introduced M telling her daughter M was born in China like she was - and that girl just BEAMED like that was the greatest thing ever. Such a precious thing to help them be proud of where they come from.
So sweet!! I agree they are never too young to love their birth country. Emily loves to point to China on a globe and say "Born," she also talks about China quite a bit, which I think is great as well.
Listen you you China!!! I loved it so much. But remember -my Poland not you!!! Love you KJ
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