The Pearson Family
by Anne Meneely
Almost two years ago, Marcelle Pearson and her husband, Ridley, relocated to St. Louis from Sun Valley, Idaho, along with their two children Paige, 5, and Storey, age 3. Despite the beauty and amenities of Sun Valley, the Pearsons didn't want to raise their children there. Marcelle and Ridley, who is a best-selling author, wanted to move to a place that was more diverse, as well as child-centered.
"Storey would have been one of three Chinese kids in all of the Sun Valley area," says Marcelle. We wanted cultural diversity, we wanted Midwestern values, we wanted an urban hit that we had been lacking." After visiting some old friends here, the couple fell in love with St. Louis and made the decision to move here. She and her husband were soon happy to discover that St. Louis has an FCC chapter. "I researched it and found that they have a wonderful group here," notes Marcelle. "They're very active and have a lot of members."
Marcelle offers the following insights on the importance of maintaining connections with other families who have adopted from China.
When did you adopt your daughter?
We first saw Guan Hong Ming, now Storey Ming, on August 25, 1999. We had begun our adoption papers in January of 1998. Storey is from Kunming Children's Welfare Institute in Kunming, Yunan Province. We have a biological child, Elizabeth Paige, who was born in 1997. I have always been interested in adoption and after Ridley wrote a book about illegal aliens and found out the numbers of abandoned girls in China, there was almost no choice for us. We just knew we were going to adopt a girl from China.
While living in Idaho, did you feel you were isolated from other adoptive families?
We did feel like we were far from other parents with children from China, and far from cultural activities to support her Chinese heritage. There were two other families that had girls from China, and we met them and tried to do things together occasionally. One family lived a couple of hours away and would come in to do things together. There is not an FCC chapter in Sun Valley, but as I understand it, there is a very active chapter in Boise, but it is 2 1/2 hours away.
How much of your decision to move to St. Louis had to do with finding a community that has many adoptive families?
A large portion of our decision to move away from Sun Valley had to do with surrounding our girls with more culturally diverse people and activities. I am from San Francisco, and we had thought about that as an option, but we did not want just an Asian community. I feel it is very important to surround these children with other families that are structured similarly to ours.
Where we knew two other adopted girls in Sun Valley, there are two adopted Chinese girls just in Storey's class in St. Louis. We were thrilled when we arrived to find that. And St. Louis has been an absolute treasure chest of activity for both girls, in general. We have gone to the Fox Theatre several times for children's shows, became immediate subscribers to the COCA programs, have filled days at the Zoo, Science Center, museums, the Magic House, the City Museum, the Carousel at Faust Park, and I know we haven't even begun to find all that is offered in the St. Louis area. The emphasis on family has been sheer pleasure for us.
Do you feel it's important to stay connected with other adoptive families?
I do feel it is important to stay connected with other adoptive families. I want Storey to grow up with peers who have gone through a similar transition, and I believe that as she grows and matures she will want to talk to others about their place in American society.
Why do you think it's important to belong to the St. Louis FCC chapter?
We have been in the St. Louis area for a little over a year, and we have attended all FCC events that we could while we were in town. As a newcomer to this area, the newsletters have been a huge help to me. I do feel FCC is important, because only through the contribution of many can we learn more, meet others, discuss and have the wonderful events that people work so hard to provide for our community of adopted Chinese children. I so appreciate the dedication of the members and what we can learn together. I understand that people have very busy lives and are sometimes reluctant to join organizations, but I believe that one of the main benefits is for the children--the interaction with other Chinese children.
Storey is 3, so we have not done too many things of yet to teach her about her culture, although we talk about it often, have gone to two Chinese New Year celebrations, plus other events. I would like the whole family to attend language school when Storey is ready to go. I don't feel it is just something for Storey to learn. We are on this adventure together! We have even talked of living in China for a period of time after we have all studied the language and more of the culture.
You can check out Ridley Pearson's web site at www.ridleypearson.com It includes a wonderful story about their adoption experience.
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