"Adopting is the New Black"

Every once in a while, you come across some type of marketing ploy that is so utterly tasteless it's unbelievable. Usually, I walk away shaking my head. But a look at a clothing ad for Urban Outfitters has me shaking my head...but not walking away. I know how much adoption is in the media these days, with big name celebrities like Brangelina and Madonna parading their new children through the spotlights. Its the new "trendy" thing...everybody's doing it.

In some ways I look at this media hype and think, hey..maybe a few more people will think about adopting, maybe they'll realize what a wonderful thing it is, maybe a few kids will be saved. But I'm not stupid. I know the realities. For all the loving adoptive families out there, there will also be those people out there who jump on the 'trendy' bandwagon, and go out and get themselves a cute new accessory. It's a frightening thought that there could be people becoming parents because they think it's cool, and they want to 'go hollywood'.

We didn't come about our adoption in the usual ways. (Are there even usual ways?) Ours was an unplanned, fly by the seat of our pants, I am still amazed it's even real adoption. But that's a story for another day. What I mean is, we had no intention of being trendy. Of all of my friends and family who have adopted, I can't think of a single one who was following a trend. Maybe there are people out there who did this, but not the ones I know. But that doesn't stop the occasional lame brain with diarhea of the mouth from throwing the " aren't you guys trendy" comments our way.

It's one thing for me to hear stupid comments or jokes about this. It's another thing to display it loudly in black and white for all to see. I think about how offended I was when first seeing this shirt. But that isn't even the beginning of it. I think about the young birth mother who made an unbelievable sacrifice, and what does she think when she sees this shirt? And I think about my 10 year old son, and I am sickened by what he might think. Just sick.