Dispelling Myths

One of my fellow Mei Dreamers, Val, posted this to her blog and I felt that it was so important and worded so well that I asked her if I could post it on my blog. She gave me permission. So here it is. Dispelling some myths... A word of advise.... Whatever ideas and stereotypes you have about China, it's girls, it's boys and it's cultural beliefs relating to adoption or abandonment of children, forget them all because they are likely misconceived. Most people seem very quick to assume that the reason Chinese children, specifically girls, are given up and adopted is that "Chinese people favour boys". The truth is so very far from that and much more complicated than most of us realize. If you really want some firsthand insight into understanding some of these things, check out Brian Stuy's blog. Brian is a guy who has three beautiful children adopted from China and although his views can seem a little abrasive, has dedicated a very large part of his life to researching China, and it's adoption world, both domestic and international. He is on a continuous quest to understand, and help us all understand, how the Chinese governement influences all of this and how the Chinese people feel about their children. His postings also provide some insight into why we, and many other families waiting to adopt are experiencing increased waiting times. I encourage you to navigate around his site and keep an open mind. The biggest myth I hope to dispell, and the message I hope you glean from Brian's dedicated research is this: While we all face different circumstances on a global scale, it doesn't matter what the country, the skin color or the culture...everybody loves their children If you are interested there is a really good book out there called "Wanting A Daughter, Needing A Son" bye Kay Ann Johnson. So many times people ask me "How do you know you are going to going to get a daughter?" And usually my answer is, "Because of the One Child Policy." But it is so much more and I don't always have the time to explain nor do I feel I have the expertise, even after reading everything I can get my hands on about this issue.