15 Totally True Celebrity Quotes about Adoption

"Let's all just refer to these kids as 'our kids.' Don't say, 'my adopted child.' No one calls their kid their 'IVF child' or their 'Oh, sh*t, I went to a bar and got knocked up child.' Let's just say, 'our children.'"

"I relate to [unconditional love and being deeply maternal]. I feel that for my own children who are adopted. It's not about anything else other than 'I wanted you.' It's that deep and personal, and whatever your journey is, I'm here to love and support you."

"There were wrenching moments. I say to everybody, 'Adoption is not for the faint of heart.'"

"I never thought of myself as a mother, [but after playing with Cambodian children], it was suddenly very clear to me that my son was in the country, somewhere. He is my son, but he is also a son of Cambodia. This is the time for our family to understand all that means to him and to us."

"And the second I saw his picture, I was done . . . that was my son!"

"It is definitely the hardest thing we've ever been through. But I think it needs to be hard because you have to fight for that baby. I've done both now—I've had one biological and I've had one through adoption. It's a battle to bring your child home. And it just strengthens you as parents and as a team. It is hard but it's so worth it."

"I always tell Genesis she was born from my heart, not my belly."

"It's inexplicable. It's like saying, 'Why do you fall in love with the people you fall in love with?' You look into the eyes of somebody, you feel their soul, you feel touched by them—that's it."

"It is terrifying, partly because with adoption you always know there's the chance that it won't work. So you're on pins and needles."

"The other day, I asked my son Laird if he knew how much I loved him, and he said, 'Yeah. Because you chose me.'"

"Even when I was in relationships, I was always honest with my partners that adoption was how my family would look one day . . . this was definitely not a second option for me. It was always my first."

"I am convinced, completely convinced that there was nothing random about it. She is the daughter I should have. I never felt like I was on a rescue mission or anything like that. I just really wanted a baby; I was on a mission to connect with somebody, and Daisy and I got to meet each other this way at this time. We are so compatible."

"We struggled, a couple miscarriages, [in vitro fertilization]—it was not easy. It was difficult, obviously particularly on Deb. I remember saying to her, 'We were always going to adopt—let's just adopt now.'"

"In a weird way, it wasn't planned. It's a weird thing how adoptions can sometimes be as irrational as regular birth."