During the past several years I have had many people ask me if I love both of my kids the same. When people ask this question I believe they are really asking, “do you love your adopted child the same way in which you love your biological child?” In turn I have to ask does any parent love all of their children the same? I think the answer for most parents is that they love all of their children with an unconditional love, however the love for each child may be different based on the needs, personality, desires, and current situation of each individual child.
A pastor once asked me when did I start to love Madilyn, and if it took time to learn to love her. Without pause I answered I loved her the moment I laid eyes on her. However, in hindsight I loved her before that moment. I loved her and prayed for her for years before she ever came into my life. I also loved and prayed for Caleb for years prior to his arrival. Because of the way in which both of them became part of our family we spent countless hours on our knees before God prior to their arrivals. We not only pleaded for a child but we prayed for the child that would come into our home. We prayed for health, we prayed they would come to know God, we prayed they would always know they were loved, and we prayed that as they grew they would make right decisions.
In our family there is no dividing line between the love of our children based on how they joined our family. Caleb and Madilyn are simply our children.The fact that one is biological and the other adopted means nothing to us as parents. We love them both with an unconditional love. We love them both with a love that continues to grow. We love them both with a love that will not fade. We simply love them no matter the circumstance.