Open Thread Wednesday
Madonna’s 2nd Malawi Adoption Approved
It’s Open Thread Wednesday… what’s on your mind?
Archive for June, 2009
“You make adoption sound like such a negative thing”
I’ve been rereading our interviews, and came across this interesting discussion with Nancy Verrier. It’s a topic I’ve been thinking about a lot lately as I try to get more comfortable discussing the complexities of the adoptive experience with friends, family, and other people I encounter. It’d be great to hear what our community thinks about this.
LM: We’ve talked a little bit about the “culture of adoption” that we have in this country, a culture that sees adoption as only a blessing. I know you’ve given talks in different countries. Are there different viewpoints elsewhere?
NV: Absolutely. In this county, if something is difficult, we just don’t want to talk about it. Certainly there are adoptive parents and adoption professionals in the U.S. that appreciate the information I share, but unfortunately there are those who respond by saying, “You make adoption sound like such a negative thing.” They don’t hear the part about how they can do something different and make it better for the children. But when I go to England, Scotland, Ireland, and Australia I find that people have a much easier time discussing this. I gave a talk to adoptive parents in Ireland and they all told me how much they believed in what I was saying and how they could see the truth of it in their kids. The adoptive parents there are much more open.