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I interviewed a family friend, who has asked to remain anonymous.

How old are you?

15.

Where were you adopted from?

Here in the U.S., my birth mom settled everything with my parents before I was born.

What do you like about being in an adoptive family?

I like how I'm different! I'm a brunette and everyone else is blond so it's kinda cool.

What do you dislike?

Friends and people I know always ask me if I feel bad about being adopted. I tell them no, but some people still treat me like I'm made of glass, when I was raised the same way they were.

Are there any societal elements that determine how easy or hard your family life is?

It's funny because a lot of people think that being adopted is bad or that it's a touchy subject for me. I guess that's because of commercials or that it's not "normal" for me not to spend time with my birth parents or that I don't know who my birth father is. Sometimes it's hard when I meet new people; they try not to "say the wrong thing" because they believe that being adopted is something to be embarrassed about or they pity me.

Is there anything else that you would like people to know?

Yes. Adoption is the best thing that could have happened to me, because I love my parents and my older brother, and if it wasn't for them I might not root for the L.A. Lakers!

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As children are adopted into a new family they are exposed to new variables they have never seen before. Take religion for an example, a child who is from my faithless home that is then put into a faithful home have a better chance of behaving properly. Also from an educational standpoint, when a child that has little or no education that is brought into a household that has  greater education, tend to succeed more life. The way children are raised impact their lives greatly.

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The way society defines adoption has changed over the years. Adoption has been around since the 1800s. The current views of adoption are to give children under the age of 18 a home to live in and a family who loves them. From unintended pregnancy to blending a family, adoption is huge today. Statistics show that in the last five years, adoption numbers have gone up. From 135 children a year to around 188+ a year! More families are looking for children, either because they can't have children or want a bigger family. Many people are adapting to the option of adoption.

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https://abrazo.org/unwanted-children/ • https://www.adoptivefamilies.com/talking-about-adoption/domestic-adoption-myths-and-truths/
http://www.adoptionhelp.org/ •http://www.childsworld.ca.gov/pg1302.htm
https://creatingafamily.org/adoption-category/why-adoptive-parents-tune-out-negative-adoption-stories-1-simple-reason/ • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-pertman/adoption-in-the-media-wha_b_1751505.html
www.infoplease.com/us/statistics/history-adoption.html • http://www.memecenter.com/search/adoption

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2398726/ • Pages.uoregon.edu/adoption/timeline.html
https://www.pinterest.com/adishakari/incredible-and-inspirational-women/ • https://www.pinterest.com/pin/190980840426254628/

https://www.princeton.edu/futureofchildren/publications/docs/03_01_12.PDF • http://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/society-and-culture/section7.rhtml
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/adoption • http://www.wholeparent.com/category/advice/adoption

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Cultural Representations (Part 2 of Cultural)

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Cultural Representations (Part 2 of Cultural)

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In the process, a birth mother could decide that she made a mistake and changes her mind. This uncertainty is what causes many potential parents to adopt internationally rather than domestically, or cancel their plans. However, to say that all cultural representations of adoption are negative would be false. There are many positive stories from adoptees/adoptive parents, including Carmen (article), an international adoption. She grew up with loving parents who could care for her, as her mother could not at the time she was born. Although she never knew her birth father, she gained her birth mother and multiple siblings. Another success story is from graduate student Jaime Cone (New York Times), who was introduced to her adoption case file in her mid-20's. Her mother had died in a car crash, and her adoptive parents fought for legal rights for years. If they hadn't, Jaime might have never become a journalist at NYU. There are negatives and positives for every person who experiences adoption; even if the biological family did not want/could not care for them, someone did/could. Cultural representations are both negative and positive, because everyone experiences adoption and perceives it differently.

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For adoption in ancient times, it wasn't always in the interest of the child. In the Roman Empire, wealthy families who were son-less would adopt older boys to give them male heirs. In 1851, Massachusetts passed the Nations first adoption statute which required a "sufficient ability to bring up a child". During the civil war, a lot of homeless children crowded streets when a protestant minister thought of an idea to relocate and find homes for the children. Between 1859 and 1929, about 200,000 orphans were transported to rural areas Midwest. They called these "Orphan Trains". Fast forward to the 1970's, "open" adoption became more accepted into society.

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Adoption is a beautiful way to give every child an equal fortuity in living in a home and with a family of genuine love and care, for the most prosperous future possible. However, the media does not portray this movement in a positive manner. In fact, extremely negative connotations are associated with being an adopted child, and being an adoptive parent.
This popular meme displays the "accidental" reaction of a child who was told she was adopted. The unfavorable and antagonistic discourse commonly used in culture when regarding words and subjects such as 'adoption' and 'adopted', create apprehension and disbelief in the process, while being blind to the positive aspects.

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Adoption is defined as the legal process in which an adoptive parent(s) takes responsibility for a child under 18. This process will involve transferring all of the legal rights and responsibilities of the child from the biological parent(s) to the adoptive one(s). The adoptive parent is liable for the financial, physiological, and emotional care of the child. Adoption can take many different forms including agency, independent, and inter-county adoption. The child-focused adoption we see today was not always the case, however.

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Views of Adoption in Other Societies or Cultures

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Views of Adoption in Other Societies or Cultures

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Views on adoption vary among different cultures across the world. Some views are due to pure ignorance the idea of adoption and some are determined by religious/moral code. People in France and Belgium believe adoption is a great alternative for couples that want children if they were aware of its positive opportunities. Sadly, According to Merrideth Lammers "several interviewees in France and Belgium, when questioned about their community’s support, replied that their communities are largely unaware of adoption. (50-51) Due to ignorance of the subject, people who arent informed about adoption view it as taboo. As for conflict in moral code, there are some Hispanic and Islamic cultures that disagree with adoption because they "consider it shameful to adopt or relinquish a child." (Lammers, 50). They put a heavy emphasis on a child growing up with his or her biological parents.