Leslie Gould

Commencement

I walked in the PSU summer commencement on Saturday. Yeah. Makes getting that MFA in Creative Writing feel that much more real.

Peter, the kids, my nephew Aaron, and my brother Kelvin all went to watch. Peter got a photo of me walking across the stage. All that's visible is my forehead and the top of my glasses. Here it is:

None of them actually saw me graduate, but they all cheered when they heard my name. Here's a group photo taken after the ceremony:

And a family photo:

I think the kids were proud. I told them I can't wait to sit through all of their graduations... Speaking of, Kelvin has sat through all three of my commencements--high school, college, and now grad school. He is one brother extraordinaire.

It was a very fun experience and in all of the to-walk-or-not-to-walk, I'm glad I did. The rest of the weekend was great too--lots of time with family and friends.

Addressing Adoption

I’ve started a collection of stupid things I read concerning adoption. I came across a doozy today in an article that appeared in Parade Magazine about Brad Pitt. Since when are children in the same family listed separately, the bio kids first and then the adopted kids? Isn’t it traditional to list children from oldest to youngest?

Here’s the paragraph:

“Pitt was a big star before he met actress Angelina Jolie on the set of 2005’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith. But as a couple, they are an international phenomenon—photographed, admired, besieged. Their daughter Shiloh was born in 2006. Last year they had twins, Vivienne Marcheline and Knox. They also have three adopted children: Maddox, 8, Pax, 5, and Zahara, 4.” (“Inside the Private World of Brad Pitt,” by Dotson Rader, Parade Magazine, August 9, 2009, p. 4.)

Does this sort of thing bother you? Have you read other statements or comments that minimize the positions of adopted people? If so, please share. I’d like to explore this further.