This is my very opinionated post about why people SHOULD adopt. That's what blog's are for, I can get on my soapbox.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
I have heard several people tell me their excuses NOT to adopt. YES, it is hard. Yes, it is different. Yes, you will have to make sacrifices. I NEVER wanted my life to be easy, I just wanted my life to be meaningful- and yes by more than just adopting, I want that to be just a small part of it. Babies don't want to live in orphanages, children want to have the love of a mother and father. I believe God calls his people to answer the cries of these orphans, and unfortunately many people give God a lot of excuses why not and then never do. Don't get me wrong some people should not adopt, but are your reasons REAL or are they excuses? I just ask you to ask yourself that.
Here's my opinions on the few BAD excuses I hear most:
We can't afford to Adopt? Now are you saying you can't afford another child in your family or the cost of the adoption itself? Adopting from foster care is FREE! Out of the about 45 families that I know who have adopted from Ethiopia, I know of about 15 of them who FULLY funded their adoptions by fundraisers and grants, the others actually could afford it. Now, if you are saying you can't afford another child in your family, that may be another story. But, do ask yourself if its just your lifestyle choices that you can't afford or truly another child? What's truly the cost of two more eggs at breakfast or $45 in thrift store clothes every 6 months- yes I buy all of my kid's clothes from thrift stores, so maybe you don't buy your kids a new backpack every year or the latest DVD. So?
We are done having children. Really? Why? You might have a good reason, you might not. Children are exhausting. But, at the end of the day it's not about me being tired. You don't have to adopt a baby and go through potty training again. Kids can share bedrooms, it's not the worst thing in the world. You don't have to afford full college educations for all of them. MOST college students get loans and scholarships, I did. Now, I know we are all human and have to know our limits, but again I'm asking you to really examine if your reasons not to adopt are excuses or REAL reasons. In reality you probably can add another child to your family.
I can't love a child that's not "my own". YES you can! Bonding takes time for both parent and child, but YES you can love a child you did not give birth too as if you did. I know, I've done it and so have millions of other people throughout time!
What if we get a "bad" child. First of all I don't think there are bad kids, but ones that have been through bad issues. It IS possible to have hard issues. Adopted children have been through trauma. You just have to have tools and know how to help them heal. It is HARD but possible. Who said life had to be easy all the time? Look at those links below. Those kids don't think life is easy, can't you make some sacrifices too? Don't let fear stop you if you can truly find solutions to the problems. In many adoption situations you don't have to accept medical or mental issues you don't think you can handle. There can always be unknowns. You have unknowns when you give birth to a child.
Why adopt when getting pregnant is so much easier? Yep it is easier for some people, hard and heart wrenching for others. I've stated my opinion pretty clearly here that adoption is NOT just for people with infertility. Here's some good reasons
www.reecesrainbow.com,
www.projecthopeful.org,
www.adoptuskids.org. Make the quick account and just look at the faces- YES even the ones with Down's Syndrome or HIV. Don't be afraid of a medical condition until you really research it.
Okay, off my soapbox! Have a great day, thanks for reading.
