Tommy Thompson, Bruce Willis, celebrate National Adoption Day

MONTEREY PARK, Calif.(AP) - Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson and actor Bruce Willis were on hand as hundreds of children got new parents Saturday in a celebration of National Adoption Day.

The third annual nationwide event springs from a Los Angeles County program developed five years ago to attack the region's adoption backlog.

It takes only a few minutes with Willy and Crystal to see the love they have for each other. They enjoy each other's company and are very active. These two would love to stay together and want parents that will be "nice to us".

A family for these two must be energetic and willing to expose them to their various interests. The family should also be good at setting boundaries, and letting these siblings know they are loved and cared for.

Big brother Willy is nine years old. He is currently in fourth grade where he is functioning at grade level. His favorite subject is math. Willy's friendly personality and great singing voice make him a natural entertainer. Willy loves music, but he is also interested in various sport activities such as; boxing, swimming, football and basketball. This knowledgeable and helpful boy is a natural leader and always willing to lend a hand. With Willy's varied interests, he has thought about many career options from being a singer/rapper to a boxer.

Little sister Crystal is seven. She is in the first grade where she is doing well. Her favorite subject is reading. Crystal is a happy-go-lucky, sweet little girl who loves affection. She is involved with all types of youth activities at church. She loves shopping, swimming, and dancing. Crystal loves to play with her friends whether they're playing with dolls, having tea parties or combing each others hair. Like her brother, Crystal has so many interests, but would like to be a cheerleader coach, a singer, and then a Power Puff girl.

Willie
Born: May, 1993
ID Number: 0101C6219
Residence: Illinois

Crystal
Born: December, 1995
ID Number: 0101C6220
Residence: Illinois

www.adopt.org

Joseph is a fun-loving, energetic child who enjoys the outdoors and is such a paintball enthusiast, that he has proclaimed it his new favorite sport. An excellent student, Joseph is a very articulate and outgoing child. He has an interest in sci-fi movies and cartoons, such as Star Wars and Dragonball Z. He has many aspirations from becoming a police officer with the NYPD to winning the lottery one day, but ultimately would like to give back to the community in some way.

During his free time he likes to watch TV, play video games and eat his favorite food, pasta. His older brothers Aaron and Paul are his role models and he hopes to maintain regular contact with them. Joseph, at times, likes to be the center of attention; therefore, a two-parent home with other children may be most appropriate. In this type of family setting, Joseph would learn a lot from interacting with his siblings. He would flourish with a nurturing family that can provide the structure and support he needs to continue developing.

Joseph
Born: July, 1988
ID Number: 6601100363
Residence: New york

This issue is much more complicated than that.

So many kids are in the system without terminated parental rights because social workers are hoping the birth parents get their act together. If I was a parent of a child in foster care, I would hope for the system to be very slow in terminating those rights.

Also, adiption fees are so high! Have you ever looked in to adopting through a reputable agency? Thousands of dollars.

Then I look at the case histories of the children up for adoption. Many have special needs and most in behavior management. Have you ever been around a child who had fetal alcohol syndrome? How about ADHD? Not many people can handle adopting children with these issues.

Sorry, but your solution is much too simplistic for the scope of this problem.

If you read the article, you'll note that a distinction is made between the number of children in foster care and the number that are available for adtopion.

Secondly, domestic adoptions can be high for those who choose to use private agencies. They are much higher for those who choose international adoptions. However, a person who is determined to walk his or her pro-life talk will find that private fees vary considerably and that public agency adoptions have fees that are lower yet. If you are committed to using a private agency, there are plenty of private corporations out there who will help defray your costs, for instance both Wendy's and Freddie Mac offer assistance in this area. Moreover, the highest adoption fees are a fraction of the cost of fertility treatments. I am well aware that people want "perfect" children, preferably white infants. That is why there are over 130,000 children available for adoption in the US. To be perfectly frank, this attitude, among the pro-life community, is the height of hypocrisy. I don't know if you are pro-life or not, but I will tell you that those of us who are preach the message to women in dire straits that they have options for their babies beyond murder in the womb. If we only mean that for healthy, white infants we are lying to these women, to their children, and to ourselves.

Finally, I submit that no child is perfect. All children get sick, sassy, and misdirected at some point. I have to wonder at the parenting abilities of anyone who argues that they would not adopt a child who is less than perfect- are these people going to give up on their flesh and blood biological children when (not if) they run into probmes? Will they throw up their hands when their own child has problems paying attention in class? Will they surrender their children to foster care when they're caught shoplifting in junior high? Will they say, "Few parents can handle this," the first time junior sneaks out the window at night?

Children and problems go hand in hand. Anyone who thinks that they can avoid problems by not adoption children is making a convenient excuse to themselves for turning their backs on the problem.

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