Adoption News

FAMILIES CELEBRATE at Stepping Stones During Celebrate Adoption Night

By SUSAN SHULTZ, Norwalk Hour Staff Writer

July 29, 2005

Families who have adopted children came together Thursday at Stepping Stones Museum for Children, sharing storied and celebrating the children who have changed their lives.

The exhibit “Dragons & Fairies: Exploring Vietnam through folk tales” formed a backdrop for the event, organized by the museum and the Adoption Program of Lutheran Social Services of New England.

“We wanted to get the word out to make a celebration of these adoptions and invite anyone who has made adoption part of their life,” said Penny Phillips, an Adoption Advocate with Lutheran Social Services.

Phillips has been touched personally by adoption, adopting two daughters from Kazakhstan, a country that is part of the former Soviet Union. “When people adopt a child from another country, we emphasize that families should encourage pride in who they are, their culture and where they come from,” Phillips said.

The Dragons & Fairies exhibit, she said, is a perfect way to bring these children into another cultural world.

“The exhibits are wonderful, and can make you feel like you’re really on the streets of Vietnam,” Phillips said.

The Lutheran Social Services of New England has sister agencies across the country and the agency specializes in [adoption from] different areas of the world. The Connecticut branch has a main office in Rocky Hill, with a satellite office in Bridgeport.

“We specialize in China and the Ukraine, so if anyone all over the country wants to adopt from those areas, we handle the [international] paperwork after they go through their local agency.

Kathryn Beary operates the local Connecticut office, and she and her team said they have noticed a rising number of parents seeking to adopt.

“There are several reasons, including infertility due to waiting to have children later,” said Beary.

International adoptions prove a better solution for many couples because there are a a large number of children overseas who need homes.

Beary said that the change in what is morally acceptable has caused a decline in the number of domestic adoption possibilities.

“Years ago, when a teenager got pregnant, it was kept quiet and the baby was put up for adoption quietly, but now it is more likely the teen will keep the baby,” she said.

The Lutheran Social Services of New England offers adoption available from China, the Ukraine, Russia, and Poland, in addition to others.

Janet Lawler is a local author and mother who was reading and signing copies of her book, “If Kisses Were Colors.”

“The book was inspired by my children,” said Lawler. She has an adopted daughter from Vietnam and a biological son, and the book is dedicated to her children.

“It’s about a mother’s love,” said the Milford-born author. Her book was published in 2003. Lawler stayed active in the adoption programs following her own experience.

“We adopted Cami because a lot of children need a home and we wanted another child,” she said.

Children made Vietnamese lanterns Thursday and dressed in cultural outfits from around the world provided by Barbara Blackwell.  Blackwell has founded the Web site http://www.kidsculturecenter.com which is a virtual culture camp for international children. “The Web site provides downloads and different cultural resources for these families, such as locating a Russian museum while vacationing,” Blackwell said.

Blackwell has also adopted two children from overseas and said the experience was wonderful. “The families you meet through these adoptions are the salt of the earth. They totally adore their children,” she said.

Dawn Hayden of Greenfield, Mass., certainly adores her daughter.  She and her husband Michael adopted Chloe - who is 23 months old - from China last summer.

“We wanted to give an international child a home, and we heard so many good things about the China program, plus we wanted a girl and with China, its virtually always a girl,” said Hayden.

She said that the experience was “Awesome” and that Chloe’s adjustment was immediate.

The experience was so positive for the Haydens that they are heading back to China in March to adopt another baby girl.

With Vietnam exhibit, children were able to see folk tales performed with live animation, sound effects and jungle replicas.  Children were also able to play house in a Vietnam home. Young shoppers took fruit and other items from the market in traditional baskets over their shoulders.

Rosemary Reid and husband Paul, of Old Lyme, decided to adopt after painful experiences with infertility. Her son Daniel, 6, and her daughter Katie, 4, were adopted from Vietnam as infants.

“We started with domestic adoption, but weren’t happy with that.  We went to this program because of all the good things we’d heard about it,” Reid said.

After their painful experiences, Reid said, the Lutheran Social Services told them that Vietnamese children had the shortest waiting period and were very healthy.

“They said, “After all you’ve been through, why wait?” she said.

So the Reids traveled to Vietnam with eight other couples to meet their son, Daniel.

“It was a wonderful experience. The people were so friendly, and the stay was great both times,” Reid said.

Recently, the family had a reunion with the other families they traveled with to adopt Daniel.

“The bond that you share with the people you adopt with is beyond explanation - that you hold your child with them for the first time, share the first week of being a parent with them,” Reid said.

While walking down the street with baby Daniel in Vietnam, Reid said that passersby would say “Lucky baby” to her and her husband.

“But I say no, they aren’t luck - we are the lucky ones,” she said.

Susan Bonk said the night was a perfect combination for Stepping Stones. “We wanted to reach out and share the Dragons & Fairies exhibit with the Vietnamese community and if this shares information about adoptions too, it’s perfect. It’s great to see all these new faces here,” she said.

The Lutheran Social Services of New England Website is http://www.adoptlss.org