International Adoption: The Face Hidden Behind Me

Adoption, when we hear this word our heart fills with love and eyes with tears. The grief shows on our face and the feelings develop inside. When we hear about nations like Vietnam and Korea, Our hearts melt inside, but do we ever think this is possible? We say one thing others say another but the main truth is, Inter-racial adoptions are not reasonable, because it forces a child into a different lifestyle causing them to forget their own heritage and nationality.

The first breakthrough of inter-racial adoption in united States was in 1958. This was between the child welfare league and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (Lifton, 138). These organizations first started the idea of inter-racial adoption. The bureau of Indian Affairs was started by the Indian adoption project, which was one of the first to start the idea of inter-racial adoption. That's why inter-racial adoption is one of the common factors of today. Today when adopting an inter-racial child we forget many factors that need to be involved. One of those factors is a certain place. When you adopt a child the first thing you do is change the location of where the child lives to your location. This is affects their child's diet and supplement of water as well as the atmosphere as the regular lifestyle changes. Many children have a hard time adapting to the new lifestyle in various countries (MacLead). The water at most is one of the common causes of sickness that occurs after moving to a certain place. Many inter-racial children come from countries with low financial opportunities and they don't have many facilities we do such as providing clean water. When the child's body is used to the water from where they are from, the clean water is a strange substance in the body, which forces them to become ill. However, location isn't the only thing that affects inter-racially adopted children.

Change in ethnicities is another major factor that affects children. When a child is forced to change their ethnicity to the same ethnicity as their parents, the child starts to adapt to that. This is one way is a good thing and in another a bad. Good thing is because the child is getting used to the atmosphere and space they are going to spend their life at, but yet, this causes the child to wonder about who they really are and why they are brought where they are. In addition, many children have issues within inside regarding these changes.

We usually hear about many children adopted are brought into loving and caring families, but many of these children still go under emotional experiences (King Guler). The location and the difference in ethnicities is one of the few causes of negative behaviors, and signs on negative emotional feelings developing in a child. In spite, the children having troubles, many parents and families also lack the adoptive skills needed.

Adoptive parents might also not consider the governmental issues associated with inter-racial adoption. Many countries forbid inter-racial adoption and do not give permission to adopt a child into a different country there for the child most of the time is considered illegal in certain countries. An example of this would be trying to find the child's real or true passport. Inter-racial adoption overseas mostly occurs because of a child's suffering during a disaster (Fenton). Its then most difficult to find the child's real identity, therefore many adoptive parents take the risk for creating forged or factorial documents. Many don't realize this as being a problem then, but it creates a series of crisis during the child's teenage years.

Identity conflicts is the number one issue in inter racial adoption (King Guler). Its also the one not considered by the adoptive parents is the changes they would bring within their own family. This affects the family time and daily routine of the other children in their household if any. Adopted children usually have difficulties in getting used to the daily routine. Adoptive parents also need to realize that the child they adopted will never be exactly like they are. For example, a child adopted from Vietnam, brought into United States might posses the same thoughts as you, but there might be some qualities from their birth mother that are not necessarily the same qualities you have been wanting in you children. This is usually impacted by many causes one being their religion.

Children mostly have trouble in adapting to a different religion. When adoptive parents follow one religion and the child follows another its hard for the child to cope with the difference in religion. Most adoptive parents force their child in practicing the same religion they practice (Cohen, 11). Also the child has to change their way of praying and who they are praying to as well as their identical culture. As a Christian when going to church would dress up in fashionable clothes that are appropriate, as for a child going to a temple would be dressed in a long robe and offerings. Thinking about this, when a child is forced into such way of life its impossible for the child not to have emotional troubles.

Family magazine states that research done on Inter-racial adopted children have a shorter life span than a regular child. The wondering of this thought comes from many emotional situations (King Guler). Many children develop certain mental problems with depression. Many adopted children feel like they have no place within anyone's heart. For example, if one child would get more attention that the other, the other would feel empty inside. Not all adopted children are said to be unhappy, although many hide their feelings and show their true feeling when they have their own children. Most inter-racially adopted children, rather than feeling definite about something they are usually being to feel uncomfortable about it. This allows parents to discover of the child's true values, which makes some parents unhappy. This is one of the first causes of negative emotional feelings in children.

Grief is one of the major emotional problems in adopted children. Many children experience grief with their differentiation in a society or community. Many parents lack the skills of dealing with grief. Fear is also another common symptom developed by an adopted child; Most adopted children experience fear of failure. They have a fear among establishing relationships, getting to know someone bothers them and being a different from their adoptive parents scare them (Cohen, 10). Many children also have it common to fantasize about "what could have been." Their minds are more to explore about their biological parents and their birth places. This is a major crisis that arises during the teenage years of the child. The child by their teenage years have already forgotten their nationality and heritage. This makes the child have more emotional troubles because of getting the wrong idea of their adoptive parents.

Inter-racial adoption is a risky and time consuming process, especially when many people when adoption from have no idea where to start and how its going to end. A child during inter-racial adoption goes through many symptoms that are more devastating than seeing the child live with people within their own nation. Self-consciences, withdrawn, anxious, suspicious, and envious are most of the qualities among inter-racial adopted children. These feeling usually end up in a negative effect (Cohen, 11). Inter-racial adoption usually forces a child into adapting different cultures and lifestyles causing then to forget their own heritage and nationality. Imagine yourself as an adoptive parent, what are your feelings? Now imagine yourself as an inter-racial adopted child, are your feelings the same now?