Today’s Guest Blogger is Lea Stucci.
The article that I chose was from ABC News, which aired on February 13, 2016, and was written by Joi Marie Mckenzie. It is titled, Adoption Agencies Don’t Just Need Parents, They Need Volunteers. This article talks specifically about an organization in New York that needs volunteers to care for newborns for weeks at a time. We talked briefly about this article in class. This particular story started when the mother’s 22-year-old son died in a skiing accident. She was looking for something fulfilling to her. Her friend told her about this program to care for newborn babies while the birth mothers determine if they want to bring them home or give them up for adoption. Everything is paid for by the agency as far as all the items that the baby would need. This was about helping the children gain a secure attachment through loving people who will respond to their needs and show them love and affection.
The strengths of this article are that the children are put with families that want to love and care for them when their birth parents decide what they are going to do. Sometimes children are put into a foster home in these situations that are not a good fit or even put in a shelter where they won’t get so much one on one time. This program gives the newborn an opportunity to be cared for properly and help gain trust in the big world we live in. A limitation is that they are put with a family for a couple weeks and then taken away. This could have an effect on them because they could be receiving that love and nurturing at the first home but not at another. I think a child, even an infant being bounced around from different homes is not always the best idea, but it is something that needs to be done sometimes.
I think that the article promotes the good side/prevention side of child protection and portrays that caring for babies is always fun. But when people just look at the surface of the issue and not what is really going on it could possibly be harmful. Yes, babies are cute and cuddly and wonderful. But that is not all they are and they need so much more. This article could possibly make people feel like they are puppies or kittens going to places just to be hugged and kissed, but the circumstances and problems are much larger than people think. It’s sad how much goes unseen to the world when you aren’t in this line of work. I see the good in this article though, because infants do need to be cared for and it is such a crucial time in their life to form those bonds and that attachment in a safe environment.
Article Cited: http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/adoption-agencies-parents-volunteers/story?id=36903119