Do you believe that entire institution of adoption idealized and glamorized?

Romany

Sure. Just go to any adoption agency (or NCFA) website. First mothers are saints for giving their babies a better life (rather than a dumpster) and adoptive parents are certified saints (due to the rigors of home studies) for forking over $30,000 or more for the privilege of rearing someone else's kid.

I don't understand why adoptees should be grateful. Should a Mercedes-Benz be grateful that it's owner was willing to shell out the bucks and not settle for a used Pinto?

SJM

Oh yes, and in defiance of the best interests of the human race.

monkeykitty83

Definitely. It's seen as without any problems or difficulties, when the reality involves loss and pain, and major adjustments. Adoption is hard, and I don't think that's widely portrayed accurately.

Lori A

Oooohhh yeaaaah. sacrificing income to be a non profit public service, only charging for paperwork and bare necessities. Finding and selling only healthy orphans, to perfect families. If that ain't a glamorized story I don't know what is.

BOTZ

ABSOLUTELY!

Thank god for celebrities and media, right?

Temperance

Oh no! People find that having children naturally and screaming through labor is the way to go.

Anha S

I most certainly do. Rainbows and ponies ahoy!

Not Adopted

Yes, thanks to the ego-mania of celebrity adoptive parents, the whole thing has been distorted.

The danger in glamorizing anything is that it makes it difficult to question standard practices and to suggest reform. If it's already perfect, what is there to change?

kitta

yes.

Independ"ant"

By the ignorant....Yes. By everyone....NO.

Some don't care....they just want what they want when they want.

I think children in foster over the age of 5 are demonized by the business.

Opedial

Yes, and I am sorry to say I got quite caught up in it for a while. Now I am home with my reality, and really it is wonderful, but it is reality, and much more complex than I ever imagined.

Jennifer L

International adoption certainly is. Idealized, glamorized and simplified.

The stories are either about celebrities bringing home babies/toddlers from another country or families adopting older children with severe emotional problems and wind up disrupting.

It'd be nice to see some more balanced stories.

Laurel J

A thousand times yes. Children with families magically become orphans and the infertile magically give birth (just look at our birth certificates!). That's some glamor the faeries would envy right there.

Because of this glamor, unscrupulous agencies, lawyers and scammers make a living. A few lives get ruined, a few people's dreams get crushed along the way, but adoption remains sparkly as long as the cash keeps flowing.

Mei-Ling

Freaking hell absolutely!

Flying Monkey #073177

Yes. All you have to do is watch Juno to see how bad it really is. Written by a stripper with no adoption connection I think this movie gives a very accurate view of how the "outside" world sees adoption.

Rainia W

It depends. Sometimes I will watch all these articles about celebrities adopting (not that I have a problem with them doing so) and I think, "Uh oh, people are going to love this as a trend and start adopting just because it is the thing to do"

The fact is though, the people I talked to are still ignorant about adoption. There is still a lot of, "I want my OWN baby, not someone elses." Or "Well if I couldn't have my own children, and I exhausted all the infertility treatments available to me, then MAYBE I would adopt"

So I think there are two sides to the coin and that most people don't have a realistic view. It seems that most people either think they are doing a favor to the child and that child better be grateful (see that news show, I think 20/20 with the family that adopted from Russia) or that adopted kids are cast-offs and are only worth adopting if that is your only option.

gypsywinter

""Written by a stripper with no adoption connection I think this movie gives a very accurate view of how the "outside" world sees adoption.""

Actually that is not entirely true..the 'stripper' gal did give an interview about how she came up somewhat with the story-line. At one point she had a boyfriend who was adopted (and I believe was married to another woman) and helped the boyfriend find his 'birthmother'. I guess the stripper gal felt she was then maybe an expert on surrender and adoption?? Who knows!

LaraSue

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