Here’s a topic I’ve always had an issue with, celebrities adopting children from other countries. I am all for helping the less fortunate, but come on, we have children in America who still need homes, yet none of them want to adopt here. It has also been an issue among many people that it was a baby of color.
I want to speak on two of my experiences working at a foster care/ adoptive programs so you can better understand why I’m so passionate about this topic.
In 2004 I use to work at a non-profit organization, Heart Gallery . Their mission was trying to recruit families to adopt. Remind you, these weren’t babies the families were signing up to get, they were toddlers to pre-teens. Their were children about 5 and up, it was rare to see an infant. Every year Heart Gallery would have a photo-shoot for the children and exhibit the portraits all over NYC. Then after a meet and great between all the kids and families would happen. I remember one of the meet and greets and it was beautiful, a lot of children found homes that night. You have to give those families kudos because it’s very difficult to adopt a child who is practically an “adult” and are very possibly set in their ways.
After that I worked in foster care for three years before I became a stay-at-home-mom in June. I always said I hated my job, but at least I was helping families. It’s a very hard job, not only because of the under-paid work you do, but also because it’s heart-wrenching to hear the stories of how the children came into care. Many parents were unfit, alcohol/drug issues, domestic violence, educational neglect, sex abuse, excessive corporal punishment and so on. Out of all of my cases, I hate to admit I only wanted about three families to get their children back. The rest were just parents way beyond repairable. The foster parents, well the foster parents I worked with, were amazing-loving-caring people. Unfortunately, there were also many foster parents who were in it for the money and treated the kids not so great. It is very hard to find families who just want to love and care for these kind of children. I was always on top of the parents and foster parents to make sure they got their stuff together and make sure all my kids were well taken care of. One case in particular I’m so happy to say after 6 years, five of my children are being adopted in November (aging from 3-12)! You clearly see the help these foster kids need.
Now the other issue many people have are why many celebrities are adopting black babies. Huffington Post states that perhaps the reason these celebrities adopt a black baby is not because it’s a “fad,” but because it is less likely that they get adopted first or even second to say a white or South American baby. Makes sense, yet this still doesn’t answer why they won’t adopt here in the US. To adopt a child in the US is way cheaper than adopting internationally- just in case you thought it was a monetary issue. I think it could also be that they don’t want people to think their racist. I mean, say Sandra Bullock or Madonna- whoever, asked to adopt a white baby instead. We would all at least speculate.
It takes a big heart to be foster parent or an adoptive parent. So celebrities I ask, why not adopt from the US? I understand it’s worse in other countries, but let’s help our country first before we help out others.
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