November 4, 2009 | Yvonne Lim Wilson
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After a full day of play at the park, splashing in the water, crafts and a picnic dinner, the kids all gathered around to watch a lion dance at sunset. As the drums pounded, the lion dancers led everyone down to the water’s edge.
The children carried their lanterns, lighting the way in the moonlight. The lions ended their dance at the pier where a bamboo raft awaited. The children all made wishes upon their tea lights and sent them away on the raft. It was a magical evening, like something out of a storybook.
More than 200 people attended the Families with Children from China Moon Festival on Sept. 27 at Brushy Creek Park in Cedar Park. It was amazing to see this community of families dedicated to preserving and sharing Chinese traditions.
“FCC welcomes Asian American families from all Asian countries,” said Barbara Green, who has adopted daughters from China and Vietnam. “This is a nice family event, low key. The girls loved it.”
Stacey Cone described the excitement of the children and families in her article “Autumn Moon Festival” printed in the FCC newsletter:
“It’s rare and intangible but [the feelings are] nonetheless real: the joy of sharing in a community cultural celebration, the mystery of being up late … the sensuousness of being outdoors surrounded by trees … and multicultural families that share a fascinating experience and journey together with their adopted Chinese children.”
Families with Children from China is a national organization connecting families and offering support. The FCC of Austin has about 100 active member families, which range from families waiting for adoptees to those with teenage adopted children.
FCC of Austin offers mom’s night outs, a lending library along with various events throughout the year including a big Chinese New Year celebration and a summer Chinese culture camp.
“There’s no other community that has than same experience as far as supporting each other and having empathy,” said FCC Austin president Becky Harding. “We are really Asian American families.”
It’s that shared experience that creates these strong bonds among member families.
“The biggest thing for me is coming together with families that look the same,” said Kristi Quadrato, mother of a six-year old daughter a two-year old son, both of whom were adopted from China.
In early days, the FCC of Austin focused on playgroups for young children, Harding said. But as the children have grown, the organization has grown right along with them and their families.
Part of the success is due to the great partnerships FCC has created with local Asian-oriented organizations, including China Care, a non-profit UT Austin based group that raises money to help children in need in China.
FCC is active with events throughout the year, which is so important for families who are seeking regular connections with Chinese culture and community.
“Life gets busy and it’s hard. If we didn’t have this group we wouldn’t be going to a Moon Festival or [Lunar] New Year Festival,” Quadrato said.
And it’s extremely important. In the 1980s there was a major wave of international adoptions of Korean children. In the United States, these non-Asian adoptive families with the best intentions raised their children to be colorblind and didn’t address the children’s heritage and race.
“When some of those kids went to college it was a great conflict, a most painful thing,” Harding explained. “Those are real, valid experiences. We want to try to make sure we don’t repeat those well-intentioned mistakes.”
“We need to acknowledge we are a Chinese American family – a different kind of American Chinese family – and provide them with the tools to they need to navigate [life],” Harding said.
Quadrato agreed about the need to share in their children’s Chinese heritage and cultural awareness.
“That’s her culture of her birthland,” Quadrato said. “We can love her as much as we love her, but that’s always going to be a part of her. That’s her heritage. We can’t take that away.”
For more information about Families with Children from China, visit http://www.main.org/fccaustin/
Photo: Kristi Quadrato with son Alex, Esther Kwok and Becky Harding at the FCC Moon Festival.
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