Dear Diary,
I love all the gifts and stuff this time of year, but I get really scared when it is time for me to open my gifts. When everybody is watching me….boy, I really feel scared. When I don’t know what is inside, I’m afraid I won’t like it and then what do I do? If I do like what is inside, I get so excited inside and say thank you so many times that other people kind of think I’m wierd.

To this day, as an adult adoptee, I still feel some of this. Many of us think we don’t deserve a gift. Many haven’t received gifts in the past. Many don’t know how to receive a gift. We wonder:
-Is our “thanks” going to be okay?
-Is everybody expecting me to be happy?
-We feel downright self-conscious.

Don’t ask me why….many do.

Parents, please remember this tendency and handle us with care, gentleness, and affirmations.