Adoption

My life has been a little consumed by adoption. I have been reading about in books and online, reading people's personal experiences and the overall process. I have been learning a lot and wanted to share some of things I have learned. I have learned that as of now, less than 2% of unplanned pregnancies end in adoption. I find that statistic very sad. So, my message to you all is to promote adoption. Adoption is such a wonderful thing and has blessed the lives of many and we are hoping to join those ranks soon. I was in church on Sunday while a different ward was meeting, and saw a young woman. She wasn't a member (it was noticeable by the fact that she was wearing pants, swore, and used the Lord's name in Vain, and ran through the church). She must have been 17 or so, and was hanging out with her friends that were members. There was a little boy running around and then I heard him call her mom. This little boy was at least 4. Her son kept running up to her and she would push him away and he fell down several times and almost hit his head on the floor. It broke my heart so much that I had to get up and leave the hall that I was sitting in. Now, why would I mention this? This woman, who obviously was in her early teens when she first got pregnant, decided to not abort her baby, which is so amazing and I am very proud of that decision she made. But she decided to keep and raise her baby. While I have never been in that position, I know that it would be incredibly hard to give up a baby. But, I know that her life, and her sons, would have benefited SOOOOO much by taking part in adoption. Here are some other statistics... (courtesy of It's about Love) :)

BENEFITS OF BEING RAISED BY A MOTHER AND FATHER
􀁹 “Recent studies document the importance of fathers in the lives of their
children. Children develop best when they have warm, intimate,
continuous, and enduring relationships with both their fathers and their
mothers.”
􀁹 Children growing up with a father and mother are less likely to drop out of
school, to divorce or separate, and/or to depend on welfare. They are also
less likely to become pregnant out-of-wedlock and engage in delinquent
behavior.
EFFECTS OF SINGLE PARENTING ON MOTHER AND CHILD
􀁹 “Data shows that women who have nonmarital births have lower
educational attainment and lower incomes, are less likely to work full time,
and more likely to receive welfare.”
􀁹 Children who are raised by a single parent are “five times as likely to be
poor, twice as likely to drop out of school and two to three times more
likely as adults to commit crimes”.
􀁹 Single mothers experience “disproportionately higher rates of physical and
psychiatric illness” than married mothers. Single mothers also report less
social involvement and fewer contacts with friends.
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF ADOPTION
􀁹 Children placed in adoptive homes have better scores in school and engage
in less delinquent behavior than children raised by a single parent.
􀁹 Children in adoptive families have better health status and higher quality
home environment than all other children.
􀁹 Mothers who place their child for adoption are “more likely to finish school
and less likely to live in poverty”.
􀁹 Mothers who choose adoption are more likely to marry than those who
parent their baby.

If any of you are looking for more information, I have included some of my favorite adoption sites on the side of my blog. Enjoy! :)