One year ago this week we began the adoption process for the second time. I am a member of our adoption agency's yahoo group where old and new families chat about the process. So much is going on in Russia right now...I am so thankful to be done.
Kemerovo, the region where Carter was adopted from, is currently closed thus leaving many families in limbo with their adoptions. Keep in mind these families could have already received photos or even traveled to see their children already.
Last July, you many have read about the man in Virginia who's newly adopted son died because he forgot and left him in his SUV for 9 hours in 90' heat. http://loudounextra.washingtonpost.com/news/2008/dec/17/father-acquitted-manslaughter-sons-death-car/?local
This was big news back in July, at least for people adopting from Russia. I remember being scared that this would delay our trip in August. Mostly because back in March just after our 1st trip something similar happened, and it closed our region for a few months. We waited with several other families to be assigned a court date.
Well, now Russia is in an uproar again because this Virgina man has been acquitted because his conduct did not meet the legal standard for manslaughter, which requires "gross negligence." What buffoon, adoptive parent, or judge can think for a moment that death by heat stroke is neither horrible nor grossly negligently? Let's lock that judge in an SUV for a couple hours and see if he doesn't change his mind! How can a man "forget" to drop a child off at day care? Okay, we have all experienced going somewhere on auto pilot. So he gets to work and gets out of his car and starts his job. He spends the WHOLE DAY at work without a thought for his newly "acquired" son? What was HIS level of interest in that child? Something close to ZERO. Very sad to say the least.....
It just makes me appreciate the fact that we are done waiting and with the economy right now, NOT in the middle of another adoption. I feel for those who are and hope it isn't a long wait this time around.
The Best Defense is a Good Offense
21 hours ago
I totally agree with you, Sherry. I'm glad we went with another country with this adoption. And I totally agree with you on that case...the article says that he went to the dry cleaner and left the little boy in the car??? Excuse me??? Leaving a baby less than 2 years old in the car while you run in for dry cleaning? Sounds like he didn't want the inconvenience or the waste of time it would take to unstrap the boy and carry him inside, too. Then he made 13 cell phone calls during his trip. Not one, not two, but THIRTEEN. After waiting so long to get that little boy home, you'd think he'd want to spend that little bit of time "talking" with his son and giving his son attention instead of all those phone calls. None of us are perfect parents, but come on. I can't imagine what that poor little boy was thinking or going through while he was stuck in that hot car. How can anyone not think it was grossly negligent? I don't buy that at all. It outrages me as a mom, so I can understand why it might make other countries a little more leary of adopting out their kids to our country, because I don't understand it either.
ReplyDeleteWe have friends who are in the process of adopting two girls from Kyrgyzstan and their adoption has hit a few snags as well. It's so hard to watch them struggle through the set-backs but; they've adopted three boys from the same region so they were well aware of the pitfalls. My fingers are crossed for them and I pray that their adoption doesn't get fouled up by some idiot who "forgets" his parenting duties for even one second-because that is all it takes for a child to be hurt.
ReplyDelete