Taking Care of Business

There is a group of parents who've met their prospective kids in Russia who are going to Washington D.C. next week to advocate for those in our same position.  It would be really helpful if you would sign this letter to your Senators and share it for others to sign as well!  It only takes about 30 seconds, but it would be helpful to have a pile of letters for the Senators to see that it's not just the 150 or so that are invested in these kids.

Click here to sign

We are working hard to get President Obama's attention.  He is meeting with President Putin in June at the G8 Summit.  We really need adoption to be on the agenda!  I understand why it's not a top priority for Obama.  I really do.  There are a lot of things going on in the world, and even a lot having to do with Russia specifically.  I can grasp why these 300 or so kids who've met parents that are now being left behind aren't top on his agenda.  It's just that...one of them is MY kid.  I can't leave my child in an institution.  I can't leave her behind.  She needs to have a family, and I'm not giving up.  It's personal.  She's not just a number or a statistic, she's a human being.  We all see her as a member of our family, and I can't give up on her. 

If any of you have contacts in D.C. and would be interested in helping us out, please do!  There will be a press conference next Tuesday.  I know CBS news will be there, and hopefully others as well.  We would appreciate any and all help!

In other news, there are a few people out there in the cyber world that love to attack families like ours that are adopting from Russia.  I don't know why they spend so much of their time being negative.  I really don't. I also don't mind if people disagree with me.  What I do mind is when my words are taken out of context or misunderstood or twisted to mean something I didn't actually say, but that would sound sensational on a blog.  Just so everyone understands how I personally feel about foster care stipends, I am going to re-post my comment from my last blog post:

"No, it is not news to me that U.S. foster parents receive a monthly stipend. I also know that if you adopt a special needs child domestically, you receive a monthly stipend to pay for their continued needs. While I think this is very important and necessary, I also think we can all agree that in many cases in the U.S., parents foster simply for the monthly stipend. This is one reason why abuse is so common in the U.S. foster care system.

Likewise, many Russians do the same. Of course a child is better off in foster care than in an institution...IF the foster family is a loving one. I would much rather have Dasha stay in her orphanage where I know she is being cared for, relatively speaking, than in a home where she would be abused or neglected. Unfortunately, this runs rampant in Russia. I'm not saying this to be sensational. It is a well documented fact. Also, they do not accept people with special needs in their culture, nor do they have a place for them in their society. I've written much about this in previous blog posts (ie. no wheelchair ramps, elevators that wouldn't fit a wheelchair, no education, no jobs, etc.). 85% of children born with Down syndrome are institutionalized at birth. For those brave parents who keep their children, they often hide them away. The children leave their houses only under the cover of darkness and receive no education. When we were there to visit Dasha, anyone who heard why we were there were shocked. "Why would you want a child like THIS!?". There has never been an adoption of a child with Down syndrome from our region. Never. So you can imagine how shocking it would be if suddenly a family "wanted her"! 
The Kremlin is famous for paying people off. Just recently, they formed a march in favor of the U.S. adoption ban and paid people to come. There are many people in need of money in Russia. Their economy is hurting right now. All of the sudden you're offered big bucks to take a child, why wouldn't you? You might have zero knowledge of their condition, but you can return them to the orphanage at your earliest convenience. It's especially concerning that such a high price of offered to match ONLY the kids already matched with prospective U.S. parents to a Russian family. They are doing it to get rid of our kids from the system, not to help the kids. As I stated in this blog post, "If a family steps forward from Russia or a different country who is interested in parenting Dasha because they love her and see her worth, I would be overjoyed. She deserves a family. She should have a Mama and Papa. Oh, how she loved her Papa. She would do so very well in a family setting. She is smart and lovely and her smile will melt that family's heart. If one of these families come forward, I would welcome this."

I'm not sure why, in the whole of my last huge blog post, foster care stipends because such a topic of controversial conversation, but there ya have it.  You can agree or disagree, but this is how I personally feel.  I really, truly appreciate all those who are following our story and care about Dasha.  I will never forget the support we have received.  For those that are following to mock us on negative blogs, I'd like to share what Thumper taught me.  "If you can't say somethin' nice, don't say nothin' at all!"  Or at the very least, have your facts straight!!