Adoption is complicated. From the choices that you have to make or can make (gender, age, health of your child), to the expense, to the guilt, and to the joy.
I find there is quite a bit of guilt involved.
Actually, scratch that. Because you know what? I don't think it really is guilt.
Maybe sorrow is a more accurate word to use. To say I feel guilt implies I believe in my heart of hearts that I made wrong decisions while making my adoption choices. And that is not the case. There are many things to feel sad about though, despite the fact that in the end I feel I am making the right decisions for my child and for myself. Very simply put, I feel sorrow because I will be taking my daughter away from her birth family and away from her country and culture.
This is a wonderful article on one mother's thoughts about the adoption of her daughter from Guatemala. I read it a while back in an issue of Adoptive Families magazine, so I decided to post it in case anybody hadn't read it yet.
Did I Steal My Daughter? The Tribulations of Global Adoption by Elizabeth Larsen.
Elizabeth has written a very honest and brave article about the ethics of adoption and I've re-read it a few times now.
