Misconceptions

We are not a normal family. We have never been. I don't think any one of us has tried to explain that we are normal or qualify ourselves as such. But there have been plenty of photo-ops that have framed us as such. Like this one, when I was eight.

We are all getting ice cream, which actually is a family favorite, but if my parents' publicist didn't think it was necessary for us to be photographed at this particular time then we wouldn't have gone to get it. We had nannies, bodyguards, assistants, etc. that would have gotten it for us. But that is besides the point.

Look at how we are organized. Shiloh stands out. I'm with Dad in the back because growing up, he was the best thing for me, my best friend. Zahara is reaching for Pax's hand, which is something they did a lot. Z has taken a lot from Mom over the years, and her caring nature is part of it. Especially when it comes to Pax. He is kind of ignored by the press, but that is because he isn't the first like me, gorgeous like Shiloh or part of the twins. He is the ultimate middle child even without the factor of adoption. But Z and Pax are very close and have bonded over their, hm I don't know what to call it... isolation from the blondes i.e. Shiloh and the twins.

I've never really thought about it before, but look how different we all are! It is obvious that we are not of one bloodline, but is it obvious that we are a family? We look like an assemblage, a group haphazardly thrown together (although we all know how it was planned geographically. Thanks, Mom.). But we ARE a family. We all eat ice cream together. We have nicknames. Unlike other adoptive families from books I have been reading like Jesusland by Julia Scheeres, no one has ever been made to feel different or lesser or even unwanted. Our parents did not tell us that we were adopted for "christian" reasons or, as some gossip rags would say, as a publicity stunt or to save our parents' partnership. Celebrities are bored, but as Mike Huckabee once said, "children are not puppies." Although that man is an idiot, he has a point (not about gay marriage, because he is clueless) about children. Taking care and loving them is a serious commitment, especially if they are riddled with illness or even have a different culture than you. It takes a great person to adopt, and an even greater person to successfully adopt. It is not something to be done out of boredom or sadness or especially not a pending breakup. I'd consider us a success story, but I'm biased. This is my family.