Why do celebrity adoptions bother some people so much?

Mommy times 2!

Hi Kristy,

It's the same reason many people have a problem with YOUR adoption. When you're using another human being for your own personal gain, it kind of p*sses people off. They're human beings, which you might do well to remember.

Ane263

The Madonna adoption kind of bothered me. The country she adopted her son from was not open to international adoption, and she had the rules bent for her situation.

I have no problem with celebs adopting as long as they follow the same rules as everyone else.

Looney Tunes

Sometimes I just wish they would adopt some foster kids from their own country too. So my only issue is that they ignore the kids in their home country and adopt from other countries.

If they adopted some US foster kids and some kids from country x, y, and z....I would be happy.
Especially because they are in a different situation than most "regualar" people in the fact that they can afford to adopt LOTS of kids because they are rich.

But for some reason, the celebrities don't care about the foster kids.

Randy B

It doesn't bother me in the least. Now, he press' rection to such things makes me sick. Let the celebs adopt all they want but there is no need to plaster it ont the front page of every news stand rag at the checkout.

tistampsup

They make a big deal about ANYTHING a celebrity does. Not just adoption.

I smile upon anyone who is able to adopt/foster.

K M

It sorta bugs me because they make such a big deal about it like they are special and caring and generous because they did this. Especially since a nanny will be raising the kids anyway. What about all the hundreds of thousands of other people that adopt but without the fame? Don't they deserve just as much applause? Maybe even more because they don't have the millions to fall back on to raise the kids.

Mei-Ling

I don't know about you, but I think adopting for the sake of boasting that you *can* adopt a "rainbow family" is extremely insulting.

And if it doesn't work, it was just "trying him out, see how he gets along with the rest of the family" so she can just return him.

After all, he's a "gift." A merchandise. A trophy.

ETA: Those quotes above are actually what I've heard from celebrities.

Are people thumbing me down simply because I'm telling the truth, that celebrities can and DO see children as trophies sometimes?

MamaKate

Dear Mia'Shell,

I don't think it is celebrity adoptions in general; only the ones that were done unethically, illegally or used "star power" to avoid the processes and proceedures that everyone else has to follow.

I think there are also people who dilike that there are celebrities who use adoption to garner extra media attention because it is "trendy" to adopt but don't really care about the children. Especially children who are "adopted" but raised by nannies or personal assistants - NOT the supposed "parents".

I personally feel sorry for MANY celebrity's children, both adopted and biological! These children are subjected and exposed to things that many ADULTS have a hard time handling.

"Privilage" (especially when combined with fame) is not all its necessarily cracked up to be. (Have you ever watched TMZ or ET, read the paper or seen the news?! Just because you have money and fame does NOT make you a good parent or even a good PERSON!)

YES. There are some celebrities (I can think of several -even ones who have adopted) who manage their lives and families very well but there are just as many if not more who do not. EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERENT. People shouldn't generalize.

Children are NOT toys, pawns, gifts, accessories, pets or band-aids. Parenthood is NOT "trendy", "charitable", being a "savior" or "child collector"; nor should it be conciously considered a "sacrifice", "right" or "privilage".

CHILDREN ARE PEOPLE and should be treated, respected and LOVED as such by PARENTS who are involved, caring and willing to do what it takes to be a GOOD one.

Marie C

I'm bothered somewhat about Angelina Jolie's adoption of Maddox from Cambodia, because Cambodian adoptions were closed to Americans at that time. How did Angelina manage to circumvent the law and adopt a child from a country where there was a history of child trafficking?

On the other hand, I have to be fair and say that I love Brad Pitt!

Cartier

Because people are jealous.

Maryn

Nah, they're not human the way I'm human, and the way you probably are, too.

I'm bothered by celebrity adoptions which use a living child as yet another means to snag media attention. The kid isn't usually even raised by the adoptive parent(s) but by a series of nannies, most of whom quit or are fired after fairly short service because the monumental ego of Mom and/or Dad is too much to handle.

These kids have material wealth, but not the full attention of Mom or Dad (who's focused entirely on herself or himself) nor the constancy of a single loving caregiver. Hell, Batman had Alfred, after all.

There are, of course, low-key celebrity adoptions in which a child receives a loving and privileged upbringing directly given by the celebrity, who's away no more than any working mother. But those are not the norm.

Independ"ant"

Because a big reason they do it is for publicity and its sending a wrong message to people that want to distort the word "orphan" to serve their own agendas by adopting.

Kazi

As an AP, it would be pretty hypocritical of me to denounce anyone who wanted to adopt. And I don't.

I feel that as long as they are adopting because they wish to be parents and they have the emotional tools to do that successfully, then I wish them the same luck and happiness as the lady behind the cosmetics counter at Walmart.

The ones I do cringe over are the ones you make a big announcement and then prance their new children to the media.

I don't believe Brad and Angelina have done this. I believe their motivations are sincere. They are not the ones following the media around, quite the reverse, that's simply their life. But it seems to me they are giving these kids as normal a life as anyone in their world can do. While she was pregnant with Shiloh, Angelina was being interviewed by Anderson Cooper on CNN and he idiotically asked her if she was excited about being a "first-time mom?" She quickly and without any dramatics, repled that he was a little late as she was a "third-time mom", he stood corrected.

My beef is with the regulations. I do think that celebrities need to dot all the same i's that the rest of us do. Meg Ryan adopted from China 2 years ago and she said that China did not care who she was, she waited 2 years (which was the norm at the time), had to follow the exact same itinerary as everyone else.

That's how it should be.

Jennifer L

Most celebrity adoptions don't bother me at all.

Exceptions being: ones that used money and star power to bypass, circumvent or change the laws/processes for them.

Using adoption as a publicity stunt or gimmick.

I also have an issue about how the "star media" treats famous adoptive parents. I'm not sure if it is the stars that are putting themselves in the limelight or the media just not letting them -out- of the limelight. But when the media covers a star's international adoption, their portrayal of the process and the reality are seldom the same thing. If there must be a media spotlight on a famous person adopting, the very least they could do is cover it accurately.

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