Looking to adopt? You might have to do some serious work to make your case to parents and/or agencies looking to put their children into a loving home. Of course any parents would expect as much if they want to qualify for adoption, but a recent article from The Wall Street Journal details just to what extremes people must go to if they want to attract attention.
The article explains how adults looking to adopt are being forced to market themselves on the web to expectant parents. Exactly how far are these people going to make their case? The article explains the experience of one woman who with her husband had to set up websites, establish social media profiles, and advertise—yes, advertise—their assets to expectant mothers and agencies looking to put children in good homes.
It appears that adoption in the U.S. is entering a novel phase whereby expectant parents and agencies are harnessing the power of the internet to make these life-altering choices about adoptive children. the same social networking platforms that help connect people based on mutual interests in subjects as wide ranging as food, music, business, and entertainment are also helping connect qualified adoptive parents with needing children.
Consider the repercussions of this trend for a moment. Facebook profiles don’t just convey your personal interests to your friends, they can also tell expectant parents and adoption agencies a lot about who you are as a person and whether or not you’d make a suitable parent. If you want to bolster your chances for adopting the child of your dreams, you might have to resort to tailoring your social media profile to fit the interests of these agencies and parents looking for adoptive homes. The WSJ article explains that social media platforms like Facebook are chock full of expectant parents and parents who want to adopt, each group looking for the perfect candidate in the other.
It’s a movement grounded in good intentions, but it seems to this writer that searching for expectant parents or an adoptive family solely through online venues—and particularly casual ones like Facebook—could have dire consequences if both parties aren’t careful. I’m all for innovations in technology that help build strong adoptive families and put kids in loving homes, but I have to say that I approach this topic with cautious optimism. It’s a good idea, but I still feel like it’s a safer route for expectant mothers and would-be parents to look at official and legit online services before resorting to social media tactics.
What’s your take on this story? I’d love to hear from you.
About the Author
Leslie Johnson is a freelance writer and journalist who writes about physical and mental wellness for mastersinhealthcare.com. Feel free to send a comment her way!
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