Who's the Crazy Lady at the Mall Stalking Asian Kids?

I was at the mall the other day and saw an Asian little girl with a Caucasian couple. I practically followed them through the entire store before they got on the escalator and floated away. I wonder if they were trying to get away from the crazy lady staring at them from across the shoe department?

Was she adopted? Potentially. Was she Chinese? Possibly. Am I a lunatic? By the time this is all over, probably!

The mind is an incredible thing. When I bought my Honda Element, it was a brand new, crazy looking invention. People would practically drive off the road staring at me as I drove by, as though it were the Model T in 1909. Strangers would chase me down in parking lots or at the gas station just to ask questions about my car. I was an automobile rockstar....Albeit a rockstar sick of rattling off facts about gas mileage and why I chose Galapagos Green. Now, almost 4 years later, every other car on the road is an Element and no one looks twice, except to cut in front at the onramp meter.

I imagine international adoption the same way to some extent. The way I react to Asian children with non-Asian parents is similar to how people reacted to my car. I'm sure that couple in the mall whispered to themselves as I peered from behind a display of perfume, "Here we go again...another adoption newbie".

Just like the novelty wore off with my Element, I'm sure in time the same will happen with our "different from the norm" family...Until another lunatic comes along.

This all got me wondering how I would answer questions when people stop staring and actually come up to us. Everyone talks about how rude and naive some people are and how your child becomes something of a sideshow attraction, but I'm hoping that Shawn and I are right that we live in a more diverse than normal area. Drive by 1 Microsoft Way and it's not hard to figure out that a vast cultural revolution has converged upon western Washington. The blending of technology and culture has done great things to the diversity of our area and I'm praying this means that we're a more tolerant area for it.

So, getting back to my obsession with the Asian little girl, she's not the only one. God help me if a parent or sharp eyed security guard catches me staring at an Asian toddler boy wondering if he's Chinese? Korean? Japanese? Is he 2? 3? Will my little boy look like him? We he act like him? Will he be that hyper? That shy? If you're wondering if 30 minutes of staring has gone by, no. This all happens in about 30 seconds... but at the big boat in our mall, this could happen a hundred times over!

On the same note, recently a friend pointed out a cute little boy in Starbucks and I honestly said "what little boy" when he was right in front of us. I was looking for black hair and almond shaped eyes... this little guy had blonde hair and it was like I saw right through him. Poor guy. I'm sure his Asian parents love him just the same. ;-D

For those visiting this blog to find out where we are in the process, the answer is...read the last entry. There's your answer!

We actually have an appointment for next Friday with our Social Worker for our home visit. Now, if I can keep myself from overcleaning we'll do just fine!