Dear Poor Lucky Me,
I have a bit of a dilemma – I just learned my brother and sister-in-law are expecting their first child. We could not be more excited and happy for the two of them – they will make the best parents.
My dilemma is my partner and I decided to adopt a Haitian refugee baby. We may get the child over the summer – prior to the due date for my brother and his wife.
Do you think that would be rude to move forward with the adoption and overshadow their big news? I am thinking we could put it off a few months – it isn’t like the babies will all be gone given the situation down in Haiti.
Signed,
Don’t want to be Hait-ian on my Sibling
Dear Hait-ian,
If you get your Haitian refugee baby first, still shower your brother and sister in law with compliments, gifts and praise. Then, start training your baby. There will be a finite amount of family gifts and attention to go around, and you’ll want to get your hands on that booty. I mean, for your baby.
Get that “Teach Your Baby To Read” program, and teach it sign language immediately. Make sure that it’s first words are “I love Grandma, I love Grandpa” and “I long for world peace” or “bomb Iran” depending on your family’s political leanings.
You might think my advice sounds petty, but really you’ll only be enriching your baby’s life. And who knows, maybe your brother and sister in law are lazy losers who would have sat around drinking Jack Daniels and feeding their baby McDonald’s cheeseburgers if it wasn’t for this good hearted competition.
Oh, also, dress your baby in grown up clothes. There is nothing cuter than a baby in a three piece suite or jeans. I love that.
Sincerely,
As much as we’d like to, we can’t always tip toe around the emotional needs of our siblings. Sometimes we just have to do what’s in our heart, and if that leads to a little competition so be it. I definitely don’t think you should reschedule your plans- that could result in the long term resentment of your brother and sister in law. Instead, consider just letting the cuteness and intelligence of your babies settle this potential conflict.
Poor Lucky Me
