Kung Fu Panda 2: Adoption Brought to the Forefront

13
Jun

Have you ever watched a movie and a bond between two characters touches your heart? If you have, then you know the type of bond I am talking about between Po and his father in Kung Fu Panda 2. It is a beautiful relationship the two characters share. But as the story goes on we see Po begin to feel unsure in his relationship with his father once he comes to the realization that he is adopted.

At first this comes as no surprise to Po, who is a panda and whose father is a goose. However, as the stories goes on he develops a need and a longing to know about his birth parents. His adoptive father, the goose, is a patient and loving father with his son and allows him to discover things about his past and his birth parents. Ultimately, Po discovers that his birth parents gave him up out of love and he returns back to his father. His father welcomes his son with open arms, the way he has always done since Po was little.

Like Po, many adoptive children begin to have a longing to know about their birth parents as they grow and mature. That is when it becomes the adoptive parents responsibility to let them learn. I am only 14 years old, so I know that if I was adopted I would want to know about my birth parents too. For many people, knowing and understanding our past gives us a hope and a purpose for the future. If the child you’ve adopted begins to ask questions about their birth parents, be open about it. You have to realize that they aren’t asking because they love you any less. They are asking so that they can finally know. The gift of knowing about our past is one that I believe every person should have.

So, if your child begins to ask you questions about their birth parents, don’t avoid the subject. Try and help them understand, because knowing that they can come to you with a tough topic like this one will ultimately make them feel comfortable enough to come to you with other tough topics later in their lives. Please give your child the gift of knowing about their past so that they can move on into their wonderful, unpredictable futures.

Photo Credit

MLJ Adoptions is a Non-Profit, Hague-Accredited adoption service provider located in Indianapolis, Indiana, working in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Isles. We are passionate about serving children in need.