After a mother adopted these two Chinese girls. She revealed the rude comments people say to them
There's a reason why mothers are sometimes called mama bears when they protect and defend their children
Ferociously they prevent harm and hurt from reaching their babies no matter how old the babies grow to be
Consequently one Virginia woman did just that
Over and over again in the face of rude comments people made to her and her daughters who were adopted from China
No, they didn't look like their mom but yes
They were a family and she was going to make a big statement to teach the world a lesson
Kim Kelly Wagner had spent her whole life wanting to be a mother however
It wasn't until she flipped open an issue of Time magazine and read a story about orphans half world away
That she knew her babies would come from China
She recalled you Yahoo shine it was an image of six babies sitting in a circle on the floor and one had the most serious
Facial expression that image stayed with me with her intentions clear Kelly Wagner started her journey toward adoption
Remarkably as a woman delving into Parenthood on her own Kelly Wagner lucked out at the time she decided to become a mother
China was one of the very few countries that permitted single people to adopt and in
2001 her journey would come to a successful end
That year, she brought home ten month old Liliana and seven years later
She completed her family with two-year-old Mika her youngest daughter came to her with special needs including a cleft lip and palate
with which she was born
in spite of her personal joy
And triumph though Kelly Wagner told Yahoo shine that the world around her was less than celebratory of her family instead
They would make jokes and ask rude questions about her daughters who did not appear to be hers by birth
The comments began from the start Kelly Wagner recalled we would be shopping and cashiers or store clerks would say things like
How much did she cost or you could have bought a car for what she probably cost to adopt?
However, Kelly Wagner had responses at the ready in these types of situations. I would answer. Are you interested in adoption?
She said if they said no I'd say why are you asking?
My response made them consider the impact of their words and sometimes they apologize
It wasn't until 2013 that she decided to teach the lesson on a grander scale
After years and years of building comments aimed at her daughter's race and appearances Kelly Wagner took to her Facebook page to make a statement
But it wouldn't be an ordinary text based status update airing our grievances with the wall
along with the words explaining her frustration
She included images the pictures showed her young daughters holding placards each with comments made to them in the past
In one image her eldest daughter, Liliana held up a sign
That said they hate girls in the country you come from you know that right
the team wore a stern expression
portraying her apparent disdain for such statement
Kelly Wagner's youngest daughter mica held up her own sign with a question that might have been even more hurtful
Why didn't you get one that was perfect the placard read?
Certainly it was a powerful image considering the child was born with a cleft lip and Hayley
Aren't you afraid
They'll hate you later for taking them away from their own country right another well a separate sign exclaimed
I could never take on someone else's problem like that
in total the gallery contained more than 35 images of Kelly Wagner's daughters and
these types of shocking statements and questions
Kelly Wagner accompanied her pictures with an explanation as to why she shared them
Have tried to explain to my daughters that people did not say things to be mean they say them out of ignorance
Which is why I'm sharing some of them she wrote
In response many of Kelly Wagner's Facebook followers reacted positively to her post and the sentiment she wanted to convey
however even with a written explanation
Kelly Wagner received some backlash for posting the photos online with one commenter even deeming them too cruel
So Kelly Wagner followed up for initial post with updates on her family as well as further explanations for her actions
After a couple of years of comments it's clear that some do not get it she added although in our everyday lives
Things have improved drastically and for that I'm grateful. I would like to think it is at least in part because of our activism
Bottom line is this
Everyone's story is their own Kelly Wagner went on would you appreciate strangers asking you trying intrusive questions
How our family is formed is nobody's business?
Simply because someone is different from yourself
It does not give you the right to make yourself comfortable to ask whatever you please about them most especially children
Nevertheless in a separate post she ensured followers that negativity barely affected her children who are confident in their own skin
She wrote not once and my daughter's been brought low because of any comment made by such a stranger
They realized that the things said are ignorant and treat them as such
Kelly Wagner whose oldest daughter is now seventeen and whose youngest began middle school in 2017
added one final thought provoking statement our intention in doing this project was to enlighten and educate and
Hopefully remind us that words can build up or tear down that they're powerful and that we have a responsibility to use them wisely