Hope and Sorrow

Two recent newspaper articles have offered conflicting perspectives on adopting from the China. The first appeared March 12, 2006, in The Washington Post: "Stealing Babies for Adoption." The second appeared March 23, 2006, in The New York Times: "Adopted in China, Seeking Identity in America."

"Stealing Babies for Adoption" offers a sobering glimpse into the potential for corruption that accompanies the Chinese adoption process. Although we feel confident that the China Center for Adoptive Affairs and the orphanages involved in our adoptions provided us compelling documentation to dispel any hint of corruption, we have certainly heard of others' experiences that were neither as positive nor as thoroughly documented. We now understand that, as a partial result of the cases described in this article, the CCAA has slowed down the adoption process so adoptive parents are once again waiting up to 18 months between submission of their dossier to China and receipt of the referral. Given the possibility for corruption and the sums of money changing hands throughout the adoption process, I hope this increased time provides CCAA, orphanages, and adoption agencies the opportunity to thoroughly and diligently research paper trails to ensure the children available for adoption are not the victims of a family-destroying theft.

"Adopted in China, Seeking Identity in America" reveals the developing sub-culture that adopted Asian, and particularly Chinese, children are creating. What an interesting, and potentially confusing, period Emily and Sydney will enter as they begin to understand and, we hope, appreciate their Chinese roots. What part of their Chinese culture will they retain as they grow up thoroughly American? And how much of their Chinese heritage should we as parents work to instill and provide as they grow older? I reflect a little painfully about the possible harassment and discrimination they may experience as they grow up Asian in America. The article warns parents to share and face racism in America openly and head-on, and I think that advice is wise.