A Sissy for Miriam (Part 1)

This is a story that I wrote a few months ago. Well, since I have no means of publishing this, I thought it better to post it here (plus the market is pretty overwhelmed with adoption books written for children) .

Please note, all material posted here is the property of the blog owner and copying all, any or part of this text is strictly prohibited.


Enjoy! (Please note: the story is broken up into 4 parts just so the posts won't be too long!)
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A Sissy For Miriam:

Miriam sat at the top of the stairs listening to the conversation below her. Miriam didn’t quite understand what was happening. All she knew was that Mom and Dad had been talking for what seemed like forever and she couldn’t wait to find out the details. Mom and Dad were not quite ready to let her in on the surprise.

“What do we need to do first?” Mom asked.

“I think we are supposed to call an agency,” said Dad.

“I suppose so. Have we decided on where or what age?” Mom asked.

Dad paced the floor looking intently at his shoes. “Yep”, he said. “I think we have.”

Excitedly, Mom and Dad called for Miriam.

“Miriam, can you come down here, please?” Mom shouted. Miriam held her breath and walked slowly down the stairs and sat on the couch between Mom and Dad.

“We want to talk to you honey,” Dad said. “And it is important that we know how you will feel as this will affect you too”, said Mom. Miriam gulped.

“We’ve been talking”, Mom started. “And we think it’s time to expand our family”.

“Expand our family?” Miriam repeated. “What do you mean?” She asked. She looked at both Mom and Dad with eager anticipation.

“Well,” Dad said, “we would like to know how you would feel about having a sibling. Maybe a little brother or a little sister?” Miriam’s eyes got as big as the sun and she let out a big yell.. “A brother or a sister? How wonderful!” She exclaimed. “Can I name him? Will she sleep in my room? When is she coming?” She asked. Miriam couldn’t wait. She was so excited.

“Slow down honey,” Mom said judging the excitement in Miriam’s eyes. “There is still more to discuss and we have a lot of work to do to prepare. Do you think you would be willing to help Mom and Dad prepare for our new arrival?” Miriam looked at Mom intently, although she could not keep the smile from her face.

Miriam longed for a sibling. At the age of seven, she has prayed nightly for a sibling. Being an only child was lonely sometimes. Just the thought of having another child in the house made her giggle with glee. “Yes, Mom, I will help in any way I can. What do we do first?”

“Since we are adopting, we need decide on whether the new child should be boy or girl,” Mom said. “What’s ‘adopting?’” Miriam asked hesitantly. Mom thought for a second. “Adoption is another way of extending a family. Sometimes a mother must decide on how to best care for a child when her situation makes it impossible for her to do so. Thus she decides to give the child up hoping the child would have a better life. Does that make sense?”

Miriam thought for a second. “I guess,” she stated. “But why can’t the mom take care of the child?” Mom continued, “Well there could be several reasons. Maybe she is too young, or maybe the country in which she lives is poor and doesn’t provide enough work, clean water or enough food for her to care for her child.” Miriam shook her head in disbelief. “How sad,” she stated. “Yes,” Mom stated, “it is quite sad.” Miriam understood but continued to think about Mom’s words. “If you have any questions about adoption or anything else, please come and talk to Dad and I. We would be happy to talk to you.”

Ok, that’s a good start however there are other things we need to discuss,” said Mom. “You will have to learn to share Mom, Dad, your toys, and your house” Dad stated. This is something that Miriam had not had to deal with before. “And there will be quite an adjustment period, not only for the new child, but also for the rest of the family. It’ll be quite a trying time,” Dad continued.

Mom, Dad and Miriam sat on the couch for hours discussing the amazing changes that would happen within their family over the next several months. At bed time, Miriam decided to pray for her new family member as well as for her family. Soon, she fell fast asleep.