My agency had a conference call with Russian families today to give us updates on the situation of adoption in Russia as they know it.
It was great to have that contact with the agency and to know they are keeping us all informed. I have been hearing most of what they said already so there were no big surprises.
The two main things they talked about are the increase of domestic adoption in Russia and the emergence of a foster care system in Russia.
Both of these trends are very good things for the country of Russia and for the children of Russia so I am happy about that. However they both have consequences for International Adoption that are difficult as a waiting parent.
Russian families that are adopting or fostering a child have the same wants as American families--most want young healthy girls which is true of American families. This causes fewer children (especially girls) to be available for International Adoption, causing longer waits, and more health risks in the children that are still available for International Adoption. Using a couple IA Doctors in your process is something they strongly recommend. They also recommend educating yourself on the possible medical issues because families that are prepared can usually handle them all successfully.
This may make things sound bleak but they truly were not trying to scare us. They still feel that the Russian program is a very good option for building a family through adoption--they just want us all to be realistic.
So what does this mean to me??
Basically it means that I wait---and wait--and maybe wait some more. What else is new--This whole process has increased in waiting every time I turn around. My patience is surely being tested and I am not always passing. One thing I have decided though is that I am not ready to give up so onward I go with more waiting.
The issue of why adoptive parents don't want boys as much is something I haven't figured out and is a whole nother topic. Maybe it is something I should seriously think about.
Monday, May 4, 2009
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