Adopted Children Have Accomplished “Siblings”
Dustin on Jun 9th 2007
There are many ways to create community. Parents who adopt children often struggle with teaching them about their roots, which can be hard to define. There are a number of ways adoptive parents already bring their child(ren)’s roots into their family lives. Parents of one race who adopt a child of another might ask friends of their children’s race to serve as godparents. Adoptive parents of one religion might expose their adopted child, whose racial/ethnic or cultural background is closely associated with another, to the religion he or she “came from”. Families who adopt children from another country might regularly make trips to that country, establish ties with local families, providing their adopted child with “cultural” brothers and sisters.
Here’s a fun way to expand on the notion of community and roots for your adopted child(ren), if discussing adoption is already a part of your family life. Below is a list of “famous” or accomplished adopted children. The list is not meant to assume anything negative about the experience of being an adopted child (in other words, that adopted children are disadvantaged and therefore particularly special when they “succeed”). Rather, this list is meant for those children who might be struggling with their identity as an adopted child, and who may find it heartening or inspiring that other adopted children have grown up to do so much.
All children are precious, special individuals. Let’s celebrate the accomplishments of some and the promise of still more to come!
*If your family includes adopted children and you’ve struggled with the issues of roots and community, leave a comment sharing ways your family has addressed these concerns. The more you share, the more we learn.
FAMOUS and ACCOMPLISHED ADOPTED CHILDREN
Alexander the Great - King of Macedonia, 356-323 B.C.
Anthony Williams - politician
Aristotle - philosopher
Art Linkletter - comedian
Bo Diddley - musician, performer
Brent Jasmer - actor
Buffy Sainte-Marie - musician, actress
Carl Theodor Dreyer - Danish film director
Charles Dickens - writer
Charlotte Anne Lopez - Miss Teen USA
Christina Crawford - author
Clarissa Pinkola Estes - author
Crazy Horse - Lakota war chief
Dan O’Brien - decathlete
Daunte Culpepper - football player
Dave Thomas - entrepreneur, founder of Wendy’s
Debbi Harry - singer
Edgar Allen Poe - poet, writer
Edward Albee - playwright
Eleanor Roosevelt - First Lady
Eric Dickerson - athlete
Faith Daniels - news anchor
Faith Hill - country singer
Freddie Bartholomew - actor
Gary Coleman - actor
George Washington Carver - inventor
Greg Louganis - diver
Halle Berry - actress
Ingrid Bergman - actress
James McArthur - actor
James Michener - author
Jean Jacques Rousseau - philosopher
Jesse Jackson - minister
Jett Williams - country singer and author
Jim Palmer - athlete
John J. Audubon - naturalist
John Lennon - musician
Langston Hughes - poet and writer
Larry Ellison - entrepreneur: chief executive of Oracle
Leo Tolstoy - writer
Les Brown - motivational speaker
Louisa May Alcott - writer
Lynnette Cole - Miss USA 2000
Malcolm X - civil rights leader
Marilyn Monroe - actress
Mark Acre - athlete
Mark Twain - writer
Matthew Laborteaux - actor
Melissa Gilbert - actress
Nancy Reagan - First Lady
Nat King Cole - singer
Nelson Mandela - politician
Patrick Laborteaux - actor
Peter and Kitty Carruthers - figure skaters
President Gerald Ford - politician
President William Clinton - politician
Priscilla Presley - actress
Ray Liotta - actor
Reno - performance artist, comedian
Rep. Jim Lightfoot - politician
Richard Burton - actor
Sara Gilbert - actress
Sarah McLachlan - singer
Scott Hamilton - figure skater
Sen. Paull H. Shin - politician
Sen. Robert Byrd - politician
Shari Belafonte-Harper - actress
Steve Jobs - entrepreneur, co-founder of Apple computer
Surya Bonaly - figure skater
Tim Green - football player/commentator
Tom Monaghan - entrepreneur
Tommy Davidson - comedian
Victoria Rowell - actress
Wilson Riles - educator
*This list was forwarded to Family Pride by a member family. The original list hails from adoptionopen.com. Family Pride cannot claim 100% accuracy for this list.
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