Sportswriters and the Adoption Bond
No offense, but I don’t care for the work of sportswriter Rick Reilly. It’s nothing personal, and I don’t passionately hate his writing, I’m just not a fan. Lucky for him, there are millions who do enjoy his work, so he’s handsomely rewarded for his thoughts on Kobe Bryant and Tiger Woods. Personally, I just don’t read his stuff. Ever.
Several months ago, I saw that he was going to speak at an adoption conference. He was going to tell the story of adopting his daughter from South Korea and, many years later, assisting her in her search for her biological family. I was intrigued. Immediately, I saw the guy in a completely different light. I concluded that Reilly wasn’t so bad after all. If he and I ever found ourselves sitting next to each other on an airplane, I’d actually be interested in chatting with him.
Why did I have this sudden change of heart? I think The Adoption Bond got me. If you’re an adoptive parent and you’ve spent time around other adoptive parents, you probably know what I’m talking about. You meet someone, they seem nice enough, but you figure your life will go on just as it was. After all, it’s not like you have anything in common with this new person. Then, somehow, it comes out that they adopted, too. In a heartbeat, everything changes. The minutes fly by as you exchange adoption stories, parenting trials and triumphs, and book recommendations. The Adoption Bond has the power to make friends out of complete strangers … and I think that’s pretty cool.
Honestly, I still don’t care for the writing of Rick Reilly, but I feel really guilty about that. Because, you know, he and I have such a close bond.
Brian says:
Scott, I suddenly feel a strong bond with you…
Dan says:
While the bond you feel makes complete sense, it’s still ok to not read him. He’s not a good writer
Scott McClellan says:
Haha — thanks, guys!
Rick says:
I know exactly what you mean. There are a lot of folks out there who have adopted, but it’s not always obvious. It’s fun though, and there is a great sense of shared accomplishment because it is a multi-year process usually.