Cabbage Patch Kids

I hadn't seen an advertisement for these dolls in years and saw their current ad a few different times in the past week. This ad really gets under my skin now. Pay a little money... fill out one (optional) paper... and BOOM... you've ADOPTED!

Granted, my perspective on adoption is a little different from a typical toy-buyer; I realize that. Still, as I hold our little guy and think back to the miles and miles of paperwork, the meetings we attended week after week and then month after month, the heartaches, the "almost-was", the "will it ever be us?" tears... this trivializing of the adoption process just ticks me off.

Would I change anything in the process since it was exactly all of this that got us this miracle? I can't imagine any other baby was meant to be with us. I think we went through what we did precisely so we could have this specific little man. We went through a lot individually and as a couple so we could become a family.

So, I repeat, would I change anything? Only if we had the same result with this little man who has wriggled so effectively into our hearts, thoughts, and, long before he was even conceived, into our prayers.

Thinking I might find something on their website that doesn't tick me off about their trivialization of the process, I checked it out. (http://www.cabbagepatchkids.com/pages/blgh_tour/06_display_closeup.html ) They even call their order takers "adoption agents"?!?! Are you kidding me? Grrrrr... This page talks about the adoption process, including an "Oath of Adoption" that the purchasers must make. Really? No home visits? No classes? No letters of recommendations? No five years' worth of W-2 forms? Shocking. @@ Oh, this makes me feel better: "When your newborn arrives dial 706-865-2171 extention 5 and repeat the "OATH OF ADOPTION" with an official adoption agent at BabyLand General Hospital." That makes a world of difference. :-P

Maybe, just maybe, if people really understood about the modern forms of adoption, there wouldn't be the stigma that is attached to it much of the time. Perhaps if the process wasn't so misunderstood, it wouldn't be trivialized. Or, on the other hand, perhaps if it wasn't so trivialized, it wouldn't have the stigma attached. I don't just don't know.

Nope... I think I'll stick with our own "special edition" who is in my arms now and soon to be in his crib for the night. So what if it's about six more months before we go to court for some form of an "oath of adoption"? He's worth it all. I'd do anything in the world for our little man. :-)