In my last post I announced the new websites created by Rainbowkids, advocating special needs adoption and providing resources, support, information and community for parents who have adopted, are adopting or are considering adopting a special needs child.

Although some of these websites are still under construction, each one is or will be a wonderful resource. They will serve as a place for adoptive parents to network, for potential adoptive parents to get information and support, for children with a certain special need to be advocated for and for experiences and resources to be share.

I am a huge advocate of adopting children with special needs. Although I would never encourage an adoptive parent to “take on” more than they can really handle, I do believe that most adoptive parents could handle more than they think, and it pains me to see adoptive parents waiting for months and months on end for a referral, while hundreds of thousands of children wait and wait for a family, because they are less than “perfect”.

I know how scary it is to read about a child’s diagnosis…how easy it is to say, “oh, we couldn’t deal with that.” But the reality is that many of the special needs that we see in children awaiting for adoption are not that big of a deal in day to day life, and every parent I know who has adopted a special needs kid knows that the love and joy and blessings of parenting their child far outweighs the challenges, big or small, of that child’s special need.

Adopting a special needs child is not for everyone, and deciding what you can or can not handle as an adoptive parent is a very personal decision that every parent will have to make for themselves. No parent should adopt a child that they do not 100% want, and are not 100% committed to caring for. Every child deserves to have a family that sees them as a blessing and a first choice (and not as a burden or a charity case) and that truly loves and cherishes them, and accepts their unique challenges.

Parents having the power to “choose” is one of the huge distinctions between adoption and giving birth.

Knowledge is power. Talking about special needs and having adoptive parents share their stories, are wonderful ways to advocate for waiting children… and every potential adoptive parent who visits these sites and decides that maybe they could “handle” a special needs child, will be a success.

Parents sharing their stories reminds us that these kids are more than just a diagnosis.

Bravo Martha. Thank you for advocating for children just like my Amanda and my Belane. Thank you for giving these children a voice. Thank you for being so committed to finding homes for the hardest to place children. Thank you for understanding that they all truly are, perfect.