He's my son, not a citizen

Without getting too personal on here, (not because I mind getting personal, but because I don't want to violate Simon's privacy), the American adoption process has some kinks to work out.

Now, I am whole-heartedly FOR adoption. If you ever want to talk about it, ask about it, or look at spreadsheets about it, Jonathan and I would be more than happy to meet with you. We (ok, Jonathan) kept detailed financial records all along the way that we happily share with others genuinely interested in the process, and we have many resources and connections to help families along the way.

That being said, we have been home about six months now and we are still not done with the American legal process of adopting Simon. He, of course, is our son. However he is not even considered a citizen of this country. He has a permanent resident card and received a very fancy brochure from the U.S. government on what benefits that means he can and can not receive. The brochure was very firm on making sure he knew he needs to pay taxes and that he could, in fact, join the military if he wanted to.

Seeing as though he was 5 and couldn't speak English, I let that slide at the time. However, if this process doesn't speed up and his fascination with guns doesn't subside, I might re-visit that conversation with him....

All joking aside, sometimes justice is about action and advocacy. This is one of those times. EACH is THE organization in Washington D.C. that drafts and lobbies Congress on behalf of adopted children and their families. They need every supporter they can get to let Congress know that there are people out there that care about this issue. Joining is free! I am a member and I urge you to become one as well. Please take a moment to read about the work that they do and the legislation they have drafted on their website.

Children adopted into American families, both domestic and foreign born, should be given the same rights and opportunities as those naturally born here into families. Its really hard to believe they are not. Help change that, and help make the adoption process better for everyone.