What kind of reaction do you have when you read the title? Excited? Defensive? Offended?
My reaction was “baffled”. During Q&A after an Atlanta screening of “Somewhere Between“, director Linda Goldstein Knowlton said the only point she had to stop filming was during or after Hilbrand Westra’s discussion on ending international adoption. (If you’ve seen the film you may remember Haley becoming quite emotional during the discussion.) I was too busy being a new father to consider Westra’s comments.
The challenge of fatherhood has not abated but I’ve found more time to do “other” things. Like browse the internet to read blogs. Blogs from adult adoptees, international and domestic. Blogs from domestic birth mother’s who felt cheated and betrayed by the machinations of adoption agencies and lawyers and how their emotions were used against them to part with their children. After their children are gone the mothers find themselves with regrets proportional to the joy of the families holding their children.
I became engrossed reading blogs one weekend, sinking into the couch with the laptop. It was eye opening and heartbreaking.
I’m throwing this post out to the digital winds, hoping to hear back from readers about this topic. Links, insight, experiences. Anything will be helpful.