Talking about adoption with children is not easy. No matter how well counselled foster or adoptive parents are, or how prepared to handle the tough questions, finding the right words and the right approach is hard when it comes to speaking to your adopted child.
In India, adoption is still a delicate issue with many parents preferring to side step the subject, dress up the truth as a fable or simply hold out as long as they can. However, counsellors and therapists urge parents to normalise the concept of adoption, to start talking to their children about how they came to be a part of the family and to not make it a secret.
Even then, a little help in the form of a relatable story or an anecdote can go a long way in bolstering the confidence of adoptive parents who struggle to ease their children to the facts. Former actor turned child rights activist and author Nandana Dev Sen’s latest book, In My Heart intends to address this concern, with illustrations by Ruchi Mhasane and text that are perfect for interactive reading.
It tells the story of Mia, a little girl who is curious about where babies come from and with a little help from her parents, goes back to the place where she came from, to look for her “tummy mummy”. On her quest, she meets people who have all played an important part in her life, loved her and shared some beautiful moments with her. Even as Mia does not find her tummy mummy, she realises she is blessed with a different but extremely loving family and it makes her happy.
In My Heart is a deceptively simple and gentle story that takes on one of the most difficult parts of parenting an adopted child. Its tender moments and pleasant illustrations make for splendid bed time reading, with the trickiest issues addressed in a language that appeals to children.