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My Time With the Three Year Olds

I recently had the opportunity to spend time with some foster kids. A couple at my church is doing a foster to adopt program and got three year old twins. I am super excited because this is what I'd like to do someday and because they are really, really awesome kids. The photo at the bottom are of the three year olds' rendition of my dog Solomon, on Post-it notes.

I have always wished that more people would adopt. I understand that people want their "own" kids - actually, scratch that, I don't understand at all. I don't get the biological child thing (and I know, I know, I'm the minority here). I think that kids are kids and if there are kids without homes, we should be taking care of them before having our own. I am not forcing that view on anyone, but it would be my ideal world.

Especially for Christians. When talking about Christian values, there is one message that is throughout the Old and New Testament - all over the place. Take care of the poor and the orphans. Help the fatherless. Do not oppress. Help the oppressed. Help the poor. Help those in prison. Look out for the orphans. A woman from Africa (I think Uganda but I may be wrong) spoke at my church last year and said that with Christians in the world, there is no excuse for orphanages. I think she's right. Forget fighting gay marriage, forget legislating "morals," forget what have traditionally been called "family values." I think it's pretty clear that God has caring for the kids who need caring for right up at the top of his list of family values.

Anyway, that is one reason I was excited about meeting these kids. It's hard to get people to adopt kids who are not newborns. If they can't have their own kids, they want newborns. After kids are walking and talking, they're probably not going to get a family, and that is absolutely not the way it should be. One of these days - preferably if I get married - I would really like to adopt kids who don't have a chance of having a family. Kids that are too messed up because they're already old enough to be bitter and hurt. Kids who everyone dismisses, saying it's too late for them. I wish more people were willing to take those kids.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I totally agree with you. I find it flabbergasting that people will spend unseemly amounts of money just to have children that are "theirs" while ignoring children who need homes. Now I've been told that the adoption process can be extremely difficult, but again, that's only for newborns; there are tons of foster kids who could have a chance at a real life if people weren't so selfish!
8:23 AM
Anonymous said…
I don't get why people are so set on having their "own" kids either - even leaving out the whole "do some good for an orphan" angle to it. Look at how much people love their pets (who are all "adopted"). Why would they love adopted children any less?
2:43 PM
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