people.com:
Josh Kelley is one proud papa.
"We adopted a baby from Korea, me and my girl, and she's awesome, dude! This girl is the bomb!" the singer, who's married to Katherine Heigl, gushed at a concert Friday night in Oxford, Ohio.
Ellen Seidman: Stereotyping Kids With Special Needs Is Looksism
People can underestimate the abilities and intelligence of people with special needs who "look" the part and may hesitate to help people with special needs who don't "look" the part.
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Sweet little baby
That's a strange name.
I think people should stop being so judgmental. Evidently, Heigl's parents adopted a child, so it is common in her family, and the child has special needs. I am the mother of a special needs child, and I know how challenging, yet wonderful this is. I wish this family all the very best.
What about adopting American children?? Foreign adoption should be illegal in the US until all American children have been adopted. I agree with the previous posts that foreign children are becoming fashion accessories and American self indulgence and money are fueling these illicit adoption agencies. If someone was truly altruistic and wanted to raise a child, they could get one right here in the US.
Apparently it's hard to adopt here.
I appreciate the view, and to each his own. But children in need of homes are children in need of homes, period. Why are American children more deserving than Korean children?
My post was not directed at any ethnicity, I suggest you read it again. The reason why American children should be adopted before we look overseas is because we have to take care of our own before we can help someone else. While this is a nationalistic view, it is like an individual family, we should take care of our own first.. The AMERICAN family.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”
Theodore Roosevelt
great quote, treegirl.
Katherine's sister is also Korean. The baby has special needs so I would never criticize their motive.
A very interesting article in the LA Times:
http://www
Again, in no way am I trying to be judgmental or self-righteous, but I think it is important to note that the supply and demand issue is a scourge on the international adoption process that needs to be investigated and addressed immediately. Although this article highlights the issues in China, it is likely that these issues are also endemic in other countries with high international adoption rates.
I am not insinuating that those involved in international adoptions are part and parcel to this problem, but it is worth looking into and people should be cognizant of the methods by which certain countries are able to provide children for adoption.
I'm concerned about countries that are not as mindful about the rights of parents and children but more willing to turn a blind eye to trafficking to turn a profit in an age where borders are no longer an issue for many with the means.
Doco976,
Your efforts to be a little more sensitive are appreciated. The majority of us in the China adoption community are aware of this problem, and have been for some time. Human trafficking has been a huge problem in China for many years, decades before the onset of their international adoption program. But where there is the opportunity to succumb to greed, people will take it, and international adoption has become another avenue for that. Measures have been taken by the Chinese to address the problem, and an indication that it is working is that the number of children available for adoption in China has drastically declined in the past five years. Parents wishing to adopt a healthy baby now must wait for up to FIVE years to be matched with a child. Most of us understand that this is a good thing. In addition, China has been working very hard to re-focus their efforts on finding homes for the special needs children in their orphanages. These children are more likely to have been truly abandoned, not trafficked, because of the cultural issues involved with the disabled in China.
cont. below
One thing that that has not been stated in this thread yet, is that many adoptive parents are "preferential" adopters. This means that they don't need to adopt due to infertility, but rather CHOOSE to adopt. We are not desperate people trying to "get" a baby by any means possible. Our intentions, however misguided others judge us to be, are to simply provide a home to a child that needs one.
The information you provided in your response is much appreciated.
Another important point to make in this thread is that the international adoption program in China was a direct result of the one child policy currently in effect and the cultural preference for boys over girls. In China and other countries such as India, there are tens of millions of "missing" women and female children. (By this, I mean that birth rates and sex ratios indicate that there should be more females than currently exist). Infanticide, selective abortion, and neglect resulting in the death of female children is thought to be the main cause. The international adoption program in China was initiated when the sheer numbers of female infants who were lucky enough not to be aborted or killed but were abandoned soon after birth instead, became known to people outside of China. Before about 1990, there was no international adoption program in place, yet the orphanages were overflowing with abandoned children. At that time, it was estimated that the mortality rate for these babies was anywhere from 30 to 90% AFTER they made it to the orphanages. Conditions have improved greatly since 1990, mainly due to the orphanage donations that parents are required to pay, the improvement in the local Chinese economy, and the increase in awareness of the Chinese people that these children existed and could be adopted domestically.
Koreans are beautiful.
Are Asian babies the new fashion accessory?
Not at all new. Over the last forty years or so I've known personally dozens of families who have adopted from Asia. Maybe it seems new because there have been several celebrities doing so recently.
Sorry in advance to anyone who has heard my spiel before:
Here is my standard response to this comment .... If I read one more comment that states the only reason someone adopts a child is "because they want a fashion accessory" or "because they like to collect children" or "because it is trendy" to adopt from a certain country, I believe I will go absolutely insane. A child is not a handbag that you can bring home and then set on a shelf when you are tired of it. I have adopted three times: a son from the US foster care system, and two daughters from China. Parenting is hard work, whether your children are biological OR adopted. It is a huge and lifelong responsibility. And thankless much of the time, as most parents can attest. Whoever makes these stupid statements about children as "fashion accessories" are completely ignorant, and obviously childless. No one in their right mind would subject themselves to so much time, work and responsibility if their only objective was to have a pretty little child to dangle from their arm. I'm sorry that it is so hard to believe, but there are actually people out there, celebrities and commoners alike who have a sincere desire to do something meaningful with their lives. It is not about PR. It is not about being "fashionable". It is about love, compassion, service to others, ...things that you obviously cannot understand.
Hear, hear. Not to mention the germs they will bring home from school!
And you called me a troll? Really?
I agree that parenting a child is "hard work". I am not a mother, but just seeing what my parents went through raising my sibling and me is enough to make me wait until I am good and ready to be a parent. What a challenge. Right now the only people on my mind that I would adopt would be my own nieces and nephews. I would prefer having my own children.
Katherine and her husband haven't even been married 2 years and already they are adopting. Wow. I would be interested in having some alone time with my husband seeing that marriage is something that I glamourize about I wouldn't be in the market to share him with a kid so soon. Can't see bringing in a a kid that soon after I tie the knot.
Are all people from westphilly a$$h*oles?
Very sweet photo. I wish them all the best.
I thought I read a headline that the baby has some developmental issues. I have a grandchild with developmental issues, and if that is the case, I applaud them for having the courage to help such a precious child. Life changes in so many ways, and this child is blessed with new parents who will love her no matter what.
Is that baby gon'na get Obama-care
(-)
Are you arrogant or ignorant?
None of the above, toots. Jus showin' how utterly ridiculous the lunatic fringe can sound...
It might be of interest to such as yourself to know that If you adopt internationally, there is NO state or federal financial assistance to help the family out with medical bills. This from a family who adopted a child (2 years old) who developed severe emotional Reactive Attachment Disorder as well as a myriad of other physical and emotional issues that has cost them several thousands of dollars in care, making it necessary for them to sell their home and move into a small apartment.
OOh Now i can sleep knowing that their family is complete.
Thank you HP for keeping me informed on such grand matters.
It is good to know HP gave you the information you sought and the
'clicking on" technique is working for you.
Wow. I am so impressed with these two. They seem very loving and generous. I'm sure their new little baby will be very happy with them and vice versa.
In S. Korea, family is everything, no family no status no nothing. Koreans don't want adopted kids, they want their own so orphans are outcasts. This child will have a wonderful life, opportunity for success and the love of family. Good luck to them, at least they want this child.
Was this in reference to some diaper action perhaps?
I thought that if you called something "the bomb" it made you ineligible for adopting.
In other news, Katharine Heigl's husband (I'm sure he LOVES that moniker) calls new baby "homeslice".
Lol. I was going to write something alone the lines of that but I chickened out because I thought people would criticize me for digging at his comments when they are adopting, of all things. While I wildly applaud their decision to adopt, his use of "dude", "awesome" and "bomb" made me snicker. Just a bit.
But hey, the poor guy IS married to Katherine Hiegl, so he deserves some slack.
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First Posted: 09-19-09 06:29 PM | Updated: 11-19-09 05:12 AM