If you had a mommy

“Oh, dear. If you had a mommy, what would she do?”

“Oh, I’m sure she would hold me,” sobbed Choco.

“Like this?” asked Mrs. Bear. And she held Choco very tight. (from A Mother For Choco by Keiko Kasza)

A Mother For Choco is one of my very favorite picture books–simple, sweet, bright pictures, and a lovely tribute to mothers. Especially adoptive mothers. Although my husband and I have never discussed adoption ourselves, my heart is so tender toward those who chose to give this gift. I love to see families come together this way and I think we sometimes forget to give adoptive mothers their due on Mother’s Day.

Just imagine bringing home a baby without first having nine months of pregnancy to wrap your mind around the idea. Imagine waiting, not for contractions to start, but for a phone call to tell you to pack your bags and fly half way around the world to pick up your little joy. Imagine taking in a child who has already seen so much pain and suffering that you’re just lucky to get a smile at first. And imagine opening your home to a teenager and doing the best you can for the few short years you have him under your roof. The courage, love, and devotion of these mothers is unparrallelled.

In A Mother For Choco, Choco learns that a mother is defined by what she does, not by how closely she resembles her child. Mrs. Bear becomes Choco’s mother when she holds him tight, kisses him, sings and dances to cheer him up. But I imagine if the story were to continue, that Mrs. Bear would also show her mother-love in other ways. She is the one to tell him no when necessary, to ground him, to discuss his report cards, to teach him how to drive a car, to set his curfew, to help him apply for colleges, and ultimately to say goodbye when he leaves her nest. I think of the mothers I’ve known who have adopted or taken in children and just how hard it must have been to do all of these things and I say Happy Mothers Day to the Mrs. Bears everywhere. You are amazing every day.