Rosario Dawson Talks About Adopting Her Daughter When She Was 11-Years-Old: ‘It Was Clearly Meant to Be–She’s My Kid’
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Rosario Dawson is opening up about a topic that’s near and dear to her heart that’s not talked about very much in the media: adoption. In 2014, Rosario Dawson adopted an 11-year-old girl who was in the foster care system.
Recently, Dawson opened up about the growing pains her and her now 17-year-old daughter, Lola, have went through together.
Although the actress of Puerto Rican and Cuban descent usually keeps her daughter’s life private, she gave the public a glimpse into their relationship in an interview with Health.
When asked to describe her “special bond” with her daughter, Dawson said that she was grateful for Lola’s “development, our maturation, and our connection.” She went on to explain how unique the experience of adopting an older child is than adopting a younger one. But Dawson explain that she is grateful for the differences.
“She moved in [with me] at 11; she’s 17 now and going to be 18 soon,” Dawson revealed.
“To have a young person move in with you and to have to really consciously work through triggers and that kind of stuff is a really different thing than being pregnant and having your baby grow up in front of you—to be able to see how we’re getting closer and closer.”
Like many people who are attracted to adoption, Dawson says she had wanted to adopt a child since she was a young girl, when she found out her dad wasn’t her biological father.
“I don’t know my biological father. Apparently, he died in 2011, but I didn’t have a relationship with him…I recall thinking, ‘What if my parents hadn’t met, and I was older, and no one wanted to marry my mom because she had an older kid?’ I remember vividly back then saying that when I was older I was going to adopt an older child.”
Dawson also explained the incredible story behind adopting her daughter, whom she knew through a mutual friend.
“I didn’t go to an adoption center or anything like that,” she said. “My family knew her biological mom, and when we found out she was in foster care, we looked for her. It wasn’t even a question; it was clearly meant to be—she’s my kid. It’s wild to think I manifested this when I was younger.”
We love seeing stories of diverse familias who prove that families aren’t about blood–they’re about bonds. And we love the fact that Rosario Dawson is shining a light on older children in the foster-care system. As Dawson summed up so perfectly in her touching interview: “We are a family, and it’s beautiful.”
