Making Choices

Sara Solitaire wrote a post recently about attending a pre-adoption seminar. Basically, they scared the crap out of her and heartily discouraged her from even thinking she could adopt a baby.

I hate that. Not that I think everything should be roses and sunshine in these types of adoption seminars; just the continued portrayal of adoption as this easy thing that could be done by anyone, if only we would all stop being such selfish, lazy people. Hell, last night I watched a Christmas movie in which two young children (Santa believer age) ran away from their evil SW and somehow hooked up with a kind-hearted con man. The kids, seemed to have few issues, despite the loss of their parents, having lived in three different foster homes in less than a year and having lived on the streets for a week. At the end of movie, the con man was able adopt the children (and inherited 20 million). Before you say "oh, no one believes those movies", our local CPS office is advertising for adoptive parents in the local newspaper by printing a fake letter to Santa supposedly written by a child waiting to be adopted. How many people will show up for an information night to get the same experience as "Sara"?

Lure them in with cuteness and society belief that SW are tossing children into cars of people who drive too close - then hit them with the "we only have teenagers and kids with problems, so if you're here to adopt a baby, be ashamed of yourself. We need to you adopt these kids, even if it's not right for you."

I'm really glad that "Sara" has been posting about her journey, because it has made me take a closer look at what I'm doing and how I'm handling it. I have to believe that somewhere there is a child for me and the journey to get there is just going to make it even more precious. It's also making me realize that I have to accept the fact that this journey will be fraught with periods of pain and hopelessness as well as joy and peace. It's obviously my fate to have a long one, anyways.