My name is Kahleah Maria de Lourdes Guibault and I am nine years old. I was born in Guatemala and now live in Quebec, Canada. I would like to share my thoughts about family AND adoption.

There are two ways of building a family, by giving birth to a child or by adopting a child. Some people do both! Some people cannot give birth so adoption helps them to have a child, a child of their very own. Adoption also gives a child a forever family. It is not just children who are adopted. My parents are adopted, too.

Being a member of an adoptive family means having two families. One birth family and one forever family. Both families are important in different ways. If it were not for my birth parents, I would not be here writing this today. I do not know where I would be without my Mom and Dad. I probably would once again NOT be here today.

Some people ask me if Mommy and Daddy are my REAL parents and if Tristan is my REAL brother. I answer, “You can’t get more REAL than my family!”

We write letters to my brother’s birth family in Colombia. I like that. Tristan has a birth sister named Catherine. She is ten years old. We are like sisters because we have the same brother!

I wish I could write to my birth mother. If I could, I would tell her I love her, I am OK, I am happy and loved. I have a family. I hope she is happy and loved. On my birthday, I receive birthday cards from my foster mother Morena in Guatemala. This makes me happy and feel remembered.

I think adoption is a great way to build a family and to make people happy. To me, a family is: people who love each other, take care of each other, help and teach each other and will always be together.