me_irl

The adoption part really strikes a nerve with me, too. "My own," is always how I've heard it and it's so indicative of a purely self-centered reason for wanting children - it's not about the children at all, it's about the parent. But, that's never what you'll hear from a parent when they try to describe how selfless the ineffability of parental love is for their child: "I can't explain it, you just have to be a parent to understand." I don't buy it, as there are countless unloved/unwanted children doomed to grow up in toxic or abusive environments, as well as many step-parents and adopted parents who clearly love their children as much as any biological parent.