Melissa

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Hi! My name is Melissa.

I like reading, hiking, travel, art, and cooking. I value imagination and curiosity. I’m an introvert, but I enjoy meeting new people because there’s always something interesting about them. I’m nonbinary and use they/them pronouns; gender doesn’t make much sense to me, and I don’t feel strongly male or female. I’ve always wanted to be a parent, and now that I have a career, a home, and a good sense of who I am and how I fit into the world, I feel ready to raise a child.

I want to be a parent because I want to help a child figure out who they are and how to live the life they want. I was raised by a single parent, my dad, after my parents divorced when I was a toddler. He raised me to be curious, independent, open-minded, and empathetic, and I want the same things for my child. I want to share things that I love about the world, and I also look forward to learning new things from my child and encouraging them in whatever they want to do. I don’t expect a child to fit a certain mold, and I’m excited to find out who my child is. I will love and support them no matter who they are.

My dad is retired, and we bought a house together a year ago. My dad has taught me a lot about parenting, and he says the most important thing is to know your child, which means spending a lot of time with them. He’s looking forward to being a grandparent because raising a kid was one of the most fun times in his life. Since he was also a single parent, he knows how important it is to have supportive adults who can help with caretaking.

I’m from Florida originally, and I spent a lot of time on rollercoasters at Disney World as a kid. I studied abroad for a year in Ireland, and part of why I feel so at home in the Pacific Northwest is that the climate reminds me of Ireland.

I read a lot! I like science fiction, fantasy, comic books, and fact books about things like math, science, history, language, and nature. I also crochet, draw, write, cook, and build things by hand. A recent project was building a fence to keep rabbits away from the tomatoes I’m growing in the backyard.

I work from home as an editor for academic researchers who don’t have English as a first language and want to publish in English-language journals. I like my job because I feel like my work is helpful, and it gives me some flexibility in how I spend my day, which will help me be a present and involved parent.

I’m invested in having an open adoption because I want my child to be able to explore all facets of themselves. The more people who love and support a child, the better. I want to build and maintain connections to my child’s birth family, and support the child in forming independent relationships as they grow. I envision a healthy open adoption as one with clear, honest communication, where the child is the focus.

Thank you for learning about me!

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