She’s At It Again
She just can’t leave well enough alone. Paula Zahn is once again using her show to villify the “new” regulations surrounding China adoption. It sure seems like CNN really likes controversy, and I would assume that the ratings were so high from their last show that they have decided to continue the onslaught of bad information to the American public.
I know I’ve latched onto this like a pit bull, but I just can’t get past it. There are such good resources out there (even on TV—Adoption Stories on Discovery Health is a good example), and it makes me so angry that CNN would abuse its status as a “news” organization in order to perpetuate negative stereotypes. I am so frustrated that someone who knows nothing about such a sensitive issue would choose to boost ratings—AGAIN—by raking adoptive parents (both in the program and prospective applicants) over the coals.
It’s hard enough going through the emotional upheaval of the adoption process. It’s both scary and wonderful, but the last thing parents in the China program need is the false ringing of imaginary alarm bells. The bottom line is that China has the right—and the responsibility—to impose any regulations they see fit for the futures of their children. The domestic adoption process in the US is not nearly as stable and predictable as China’s; this is why we personally chose the program. Paula Zahn has no idea what it’s like to go through a homestudy, apply for an I-600, fill out a G4, or navigate the social issues surrounding foreign adoption. She certainly could not tell you anything about attachment, bonding, the grieving process, or the sensory processing disorders that are so common in adopted infants.
So…..Even though it’s a complete train wreck, I’ll watch it tonight. I want plenty of ammunition for my NEXT letter to CNN, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last week, it’s that the ignorant, intolerant Paula Zahn will be sure to supply it. To all of the other a-parents out there in the China program: I feel your pain and your frustration, but if we keep sticking together, maybe, just maybe, we can make a difference.
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