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Sometimes I find it really difficult to think about the topic of adoption from Russia practically every single day. Not that it’s a negative thing – the adoption part. Quite the contrary! It’s a joyous event and something I’m really proud to be a part of.
It’s not the adoption part – it’s the part where I think about where my son came from (an orphanage) and how there are hundreds of thousands of children still in Russia (not to mention the rest of the world) who need homes.
I just read this article from the Atlanta Journal Constitution about a little boy named Losha who came to the U.S. as part of a hosting program.
He stayed with an Atlanta-area family for about a month. They took him to the dentist and the eye doctor. They bought him shoes that would fit him. They take him to hockey games and to visit grandma. They give him a taste of family life.
And in the end, they decide not to adopt him.
I respect their decision. No doubt it was extremely hard to make. They said they wanted a girl, and that Losha had too much energy. I understand. People have to do the best for their families. But still, it’s heartbreaking. What will happen to that little boy? What will happen to all the children? What can we do?
I think about this all the time. My little company gives quarterly donations to adoption charities. That’s one way to help. But I don’t make very much money and my donations don’t account for a lot. Our family has yearly “family day” parties to celebrate Little J’s adoption day and we raise money then, too, but again – it’s a tiny amount.
I’ve thought about hosting a child, but we will have to wait until my boys are older. Hosting programs generally don’t bring children younger than 6 to the U.S. and Little J is only 3 – it’ll be at least 4 more years before we can do that. Plus, if we hosted, would we adopt?
I’ve thought a lot about adopting another child (not through a hosting program), but my husband feels our family is complete, plus we don’t have the money, which is key. Maybe if we had the money he’d reconsider. Maybe. How would I get $30,000 again?
What else can I do? Does anyone else struggle with this? What do you do for the ones who were left behind?
