People love Layla

In Ethiopia, many people loved Layla (then Mekdelawit)... from the caregivers and staff at the orphanage, to the staff at the guest house, to the director of the adoption agency, to our driver and "manny" Dawit. Even strangers liked her... for example, a man in the supermarket tried to take her picture. In another case, some waitresses at a restaurant were passing her around (they do that in Ethiopia - strangers come up and just take people's babies to hold them for a bit). See the photo below of the beautiful waitresses who loved holding little Mekd.

I am finding that people in the U.S. love her, too! Everywhere I go, people talk to her and tell her how beautiful she is. Today in the grocery store, no less than 3 people commented on how adorable she is. And she was just sitting there, not even smiling. When she smiles and laughs, she is even more endearing. My point is not to brag about my daughter, I would love her even if she wasn't physically attractive. Rather, my point is that, while I expected people to look at us differently, I anticipated a negative, not a positive reaction, from strangers. Maybe I under-estimated this town and human nature in general. Perhaps I heard one too many times that what I was doing was unusual and might make people think less of me (a white woman with a black child - gasp!).


The lesson here is that I shouldn't think so negatively. Regardless of the culture, people naturally respond to the beauty and innocence apparent in a child. Even my dad who regularly says racially-tainted things that make me cringe thinks that she is special (he called her a "chocolate doll baby" which I take as a compliment on the highest order) and is so supportive of me being her mom that he wants to buy me something to help out.


From the beginning of this journey, I have said that people, no matter how prejudiced they might be, would not be able to take that out against a little child. I think I was right.


For all you other parents reading this, I'm sure you've experienced what I'm describing - how total strangers love your children. I'm not naive enough to think that it's just Layla who evokes these reactions in people. :) It's just the polar opposite of what I anticipated.


By the way, Layla and I are slowly adjusting after being home for 5 days. She doesn't like to be alone EVER which makes it a bit challenging being a single mom, but we'll get there. She LOVES her food and preaches very loudly to me in either Amharic or baby talk if I don't deliver it to her quickly enough or if I don't give her the exact item that she is demanding. At first, she was terrified by my dog and cats, but is starting to get used to them. She finds it hilarious to see animals hanging out with people. I still can't believe that she is here with me, I'm completely in awe at times.