Rambling Rhodes

Not at all being that there are as many here as there.

i think it's actually a very good idea, not so much that i think the kid needs to grow up speaking spanish, but i think because it will give the parents a good dose of mexican history and culture that i'm assuming since they don't already speak spanish they've never received, and that's a good thing. i think it's important for adoptive parents to learn as much about the culture their child is coming from as possible, especially so that when the child gets older and starts asking the Big Questions, they'll be more prepared to answer them.

See, leblanc, this is where the nonsense creeps in. They're adopting a baby. A newborn. It doesn't HAVE a culture. The child has a culture that's instilled in it by its parents AS IT'S BEING RAISED. I mean, Jesus, let's turn this idea around and pretend it's a Mexican family adopting and American baby. Would the same "cultural instillment" philosophy still apply? Of course not.

You should hear all the other hoops they have to jump through just to adopt. They had to join a church, do community service work, and all sorts of other bullshit. Every time I hear a radio commercial saying "Adoption, what a beautiful choice," I want to put my fist through the dashboard.

"A newborn. It doesn't HAVE a culture."
i'm no expert, but i do know that many long-term studies have determined that even children who are handed over to their parents the MINUTE they are born later on have difficulty adjusting if their family tries to "ignore" their racial/ethnic differences. i had a very heated debate about this issue with a friend of mine who was adopted and who has studied the sociological impacts for years. i can't quote any statistics or anything, but i can tell you that many, many people feel very deeply that it is an injustice to ignore the native culture of any adopted child because they will eventually have a sort of identity crisis about it if you don't. they haven't quite figured out why (if a child is loved and has everything they need, where does the issue stem from?), but only know that it happens to a very high percentage. not that we don't ALL have identity crises, but it's a particular kind to adoptees that has been well-documented.

Well, then I must be traumatized to the extreme since I haven't adequately gotten in touch with my 50 percent Irish, 25 percent Norwegian and 25 percent French heritage.

Come to think of it, my father, who was adopted from an orphanage at the age of five (and who was reunited with a brother and sister he didn't know he had in his mid-40s) must also be the victim of an extreme injustice. But, no, wait, he been a rock of stability for 65 years, 14 of which were spent teaching in Japan. I'll be sure to ask him about the sociological impact of his not knowing enough about his Irish heritage next time we talk. Chances are, he'll guffaw dismissively and start talking about how the Twins have a chance at the World Series next year.

Again, if we were talking about an American being adopted by a Mexican family, we wouldn't even be having this debate.