Classic Comebacks to Annoying Things People Say About Adoption

Anjea: "I just LOVE hearing, 'Well, be grateful you weren't aborted.' My response is usually, 'If I had been aborted I wouldn't have to listen to inane comments like yours.'

Alex's Mom: "I had a woman give me the line about now that we adopted a baby I'll get pregnant and have a child of my own. I said, 'You're right, Alex is just our practice baby and when the real one comes along we'll trade him in for some new furniture.'

Mary: "I must admit that I don't smile sweetly when told how lucky my little girl is to have us as parents. I stare straight back at them and say, 'Luck, if luck had anything to do with it she would not have spent the first year of her life in the appalling conditions she did.'

Paul: "When asked by a Dr., insurance agent, and this last year on the census about family history or medical history I always reply,'I'm sorry, the state of NY won't let me have that information.' Then I educate them!

AngeliaMA: "After I delivered my daughter at 5 months into the pregnancy (she died) a woman said, 'You're young, you can have more.' After that loss, I have had three early miscarriages and I am now adopting. After I told her that I was adopting, that same woman said 'You must feel so awful knowing that you can't have your *own* children.' I was lucky that the shock caught me off guard long enough to not say anything."

Marney: "How about the word 'special'? I spent years as a 'special child'... 'You'll have to excuse her, she's a special child - adopted, you know.' I am so tired of being 'special'...what I wouldn't give to be normal.

And since I'm sounding off, why is it that when newspapers report criminal activity or death, it's, 'He's the adopted son of...', but never 'he's the blood-related child of...'?

And please, don't even get me started on 'illegitimate'... there is no illegitimate child, only a child born out of wedlock. Every person is a legitimate human being, unless they are an android!

WebGirlie: "I have an older brother and I am frequently asked, 'So, is your brother real or he is adopted too?'"

Upon stating that I am adopted, 'Oh wow, I'm sorry,' and, 'Do you know <insert name here>? He's adopted too.' Which is somewhat akin to saying that you're from Texas and being asked if you know a guy named John Smith because he's from Texas too."

Courtney: "'Oh, so they aren't your real family?' It really gets me angry when people assume that I don't think that they are my real family. They raised me... they are the only family I know. If that doesn't make them real what does?"

Teresa: "I am sick and tired of non-triad members saying that we are 'simply motivated by curiosity' (talking about searching or trying to access our records), or that we should 'let sleeping dogs lie.' The deprivation of knowledge about ourselves goes way beyond mere 'curiosity'. It's easy to tell someone else to 'let things be' or 'be grateful' or whatever; it's not their 'sleeping dogs.'"

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