Name: Meadow McCumber
Select your age bracket: 25-32
Profession: Other
If you selected “other,” please describe: I am a human being. My vocation is to live, deeply and fully, in such a way that the world is better because of my actions, thoughts, and endeavors. (Ugh. That sounds so presumptuous. I’m sorry. I don’t know how else to say it.)
How many pen pals are you interested in acquiring? At present, I have the time, energy, and interest in corresponding with two to three others.
What qualities do you seek in a pen pal? I have a very practical purpose in joining this project at present. I’ve just adopted a Pakistani orphan. I know! They always say that adoption isn’t the answer to the refugee crisis! Believe me. I had to think this all the way through from every angle and back again. But after all the thinking, I looked in the eyes of my friend Jordan, who works with a refugee agency here in Windenburg, and I had to reply, “I’ll take her.”
So now, Jena lives with me.
And I have absolutely no idea what to do.
So, I guess the qualities I’m looking for in a pen pal would be:
Wisdom
Patience
Encouragement
The ability to talk me down from the ledge when I’m freaking out
Common sense
Understanding of children and of the process of being an adoptive mom
Expertise in early childhood development and how to best nurture these little ones
I’d also love to find a relative of Jena’s or someone from her culture of birth, so that she can feel some connection to her heritage.
Do you have a desire to meet your pen pal face-to-face? Sure, if the opportunity arose! I would love for them to meet little Jena, so they could help me understand her better!
Please describe, in as much detail as possible, your reason for wanting to join the pen pal project: Let me tell you a story, and this will help you to see why I want to write to someone who knows about very young kids.
The other morning, Jena and I were sitting in the living room, talking.
Now, isn’t that weird? I mean, she’s two! She’s still in diapers.
And there we were, carrying on a conversation, as if she were an old college chum.
But the thing was, I couldn’t understand a word she said.
She just spoke on and on and on, in baby talk. And I couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
I pretended like I understood her, but it became evident when our conversation was finished, that she felt disappointed. I’d missed something essential that she was trying to convey.
What do I do in situations like that?
I really need someone to tell me.
We went into her room and I read her a story. I got so engrossed in it that I forgot to read aloud. See what I mean? I’m hopeless as a mom. I need help!
When we finished reading, I knelt on the floor and she walked up to me, looking like the angel she is.
I could see in her eyes that she was trying to communicate with me.
But all I could hear was, “Ti solly tee! Ti solly tee!”
“I’m sorry, Jena,” I replied. “I don’t know what you’re saying.”
She looked so crushed. We need help, this baby and me. She has so much to tell me, and I need a way to understand.
Cathy Tea's SimLit Anthology 