HOSEI WOMEN - ADOPTION

 

We deny ourselves the opportunity of loving and being loved because of cultural reasons that make no sense as waiting parents. It is believed in our part of the world that until a woman gives birth to children, she cannot enjoy the joy of being a mother. Even when she does all a mother does to children under her care, she is regarded as a care giver or a steward and not a mother. Because of this discriminatory and narrow minded mentality, a lot of waiting parents are discouraged from adopting children. They waste precious years they could have used to love and be loved if they adopt a child, to languish in yearnings words cannot utter.

There are lots of healthy, beautiful and precious children in need of parents love. In need of a home where they can have a feel of family life. Children that will fill the vacuum in the lives and hearts of waiting parents as they are in turn given the opportunity to grow up enjoying a mother's and father's love. But this seems impossible with the prejudices our society harbors against adoption. Waiting parents are advised against adoption with comments like - "There is no way someone else's child will be a true and loyal child to you", "You will only labour in vain. When the time to enjoy the fruits of your labour is ripe, someone else will enjoy it", "Adopted children are high risk because of the unknown blood line in them. They may be from a family of lunatics, diseased or flawed in one way or another".

My thought on this is that biological children also develop unexpected ailments. Do we disown them because of this? Haven't we heard or seen biological children forsaking their parents, while other people's children take good care of the parents? Why do we allow our sentiments to stand in the way of our sources of joy? There is no certainty in life. Everything we do is a risk and by faith. Whether biological or adopted, what determines whether a person will enjoy the love and care of a child is if the child is loved and taken good care of by the parents. There is no parent that will love a child; biological or adopted that will not be taken care of in old age. Even if the child fails in his/her duties, God will ensure that the parents reap the reward of their good deeds over their child(ren).

We should understand that the principle of sowing and reaping governs the child and parent relationship as it does other relationships. While waiting parents wait for their own biological children, they can stop putting life on hold and live it to the fullest by meeting the needs of orphaned children while having their own needs met at the same time. Love gives life so much meaning, and love is nothing but giving and receiving acts of service.

Life is to be enjoyed and not to be endured!