Since I have become immersed in adoption, one thing that has always drawn me is the photolistings. The faces of those children staring back at me makes me want to fill my home with adopted children. Many of the agencies that use photolistings are very ethical. They use them as a way of spreading the word about children who need homes. However, there are also some agencies that use photolistings as a way to bring in clients because they have trouble finding them in any other way. They count on potential adoptive parents falling in love with a cute face on a photolisting and then going forward with their agency no matter what. In the adoption community there are some people who are adamantly against photolistings because of these less-than-ethical agencies. Often on forums like Adoption.com, I will see people asking if it is okay to pursue a child on a photolisting. The purpose of this article is to give you guidelines on how to proceed when you are interested in a photolisted child.
Personally, I think that photolistings are a wonderful tool. They spread the word about children who might not be known otherwise. Often people become more open to children with special needs as a result of seeing them on a photolisting. Also, photolistings literally put a face on the huge need for people to step forward to adopt the children who wait. As long as you follow a few simple guidelines, I think that a photolisting is a great option when you are searching for your future child.
Here are the things that I encourage people to keep in mind when they begin looking at photolistings:
•Try not to fall in love with a picture. As hard as it is, wait until you have all the information on the child before getting attached.
•Be sure to research the agency – do all of the research that you would do if you didn’t have a child identified.
•Be honest with yourself about which special needs you are comfortable with. Don’t allow your heart to pull you in a direction that won’t work with your family.
•On the flip side, be open to surprises when it comes to special needs. Often when faced with a specific child, adoptive parents find that they are more open to the needs that child might have.
•Take your time – wait for the child who is right for your family to come along.
Related Articles:
International Waiting Children
The Heart Gallery
AdoptUSKids.org