Clemencia Deleon, a birthmother who placed her child in a kinship adoption, unpacks the complexity of kinship adoption, and the importance of honesty and emotional intelligence in navigating this form of adoption. There are a lot of obvious benefits built in to kinship adoption: the adopted child has racial and cultural mirrors, are already a member of their adoptive parents' family, and one or both of their birthparents are likely known to them as part of their extended family. But the more difficult aspects of kinship adoption are often glossed over, or ignored entirely. Kinship adoption creates complex family dynamics, emotional stress, potential for role confusion within the family, and the added pressure of managing family relationships. Families are complicated and full of history, and Clemencia addresses how that history can impact the adoption dynamic in unexpected and difficult ways, and how to best navigate complicated adoption relationships by practicing radical honesty and building emotional intelligence.