Since I wrote about my decision to open up my daughter's international adoption three years ago, I've received quite a few letters and calls from parents wanting to do the same. But I always am careful to tell parents to fully consider what they may find. Often people have the fantasy of bonding with their child's birth mother, developing this beautiful relationship that makes their child feel whole.
But often the reality falls far short of the romantic ideal. The reasons why birth parents abroad make "adoption plans" are often very similar to the circumstances that lead kids into the foster care system in the US: extreme poverty, along with the twin ills of mental illness, addiction, and criminal activity. On top of that, sometimes families discover the truly nightmareish scenario that the adoption was illegitimate.
So I read Elizabeth Larsen's account of opening her own Guatemala adoption hesitantly. But her story was nuanced and touched on the heart-breaking reality and ethical quandaries behind international adoptions. Take a look. Stumble It!