[KarenInCa]

I don't have a hard time saying that she was adopted, and children seem to just want answers when things are different than normal. After they get an answer, even if they don't get a long and drawn out answer, they seem to be satisfied.
Saying simply, "she used to live in China" might even suffice.

Your post reminds me of something that I've had trouble with. I've noticed that even though I can talk with my 3.5 yr old daughter about being adopted, and talk about her A-yi who cared for her before we came to China, and we talk about our story of becoming a forever family....I have a REALLY hard time including in my stories to HER that she was in an orphanage. I've never mentioned that to her, even though she might not even understand what the word orphanage means.
We've talked about and embraced the A-yi that took care of her, we've talked about and embraced that she is from China, and we've talked about and embraced that she has beautiful Chinese features. But I cannot bring it to myself to say the word "orphanage" to her when I talk about her beginnings. It's my own issue because she has no clue what the word means. It just seems so cold and harsh, and I just can't bring myself to use the word orphanage when I talk to her about her story. Anyone else find it difficult?