Adoptive Parents Say: Boys Are Too Much Trouble

re: Adoptive Parents Say: Boys Are Too Much Trouble

Alice — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:48:22 GMT

Strech Mark Mama is wrong. In India, Japan, China, S. Korea, Thailand, Taiwan and most other Asian countries, which comprise most of the world's population overwhelmingly prefer to adopt boys over girls. We adopted from China because the ratio of girls waiting to be adopted was 98% to 2% boys. The Chinese do not want to adopt a girl, they want sons. Only the west rpefers girls. In China the majority of baby girls abandoned are healthy but only about 5% of baby boys are healthy. Most healthy boys are kept by the birth family or sold to a family who wants to adopt a boy. In Japan, where adoption is frowned upon, usually the Japanese only adopt boys, rarely girls. Foreigners will accept the girls. Many of my friends did not specify or could not when they adopted from Asia and all but one got girls. We were hoping for a boy but happily accepted a referral for a girl. There are just so many without families.

re: Adoptive Parents Say: Boys Are Too Much Trouble

Shannon LC Cate — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:46:16 GMT

Our adoption agency doesn't allow parents to choose gender and I think that's how it should be across the board with minor exceptions that are highly child's-best-interest specific.

We ended up with two girls and everyone thinks it's because we, like so many adoptive parents requested girls. Nope. Just the roll of the dice. Boys would have been fine too.

re: Adoptive Parents Say: Boys Are Too Much Trouble

Sue — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 01:12:07 GMT

I don't think there's a collective ignorance about which gender is easier to raise. I think it's more like--when girls "go bad" they get pregnant or do drugs, when boys "go bad" they set fires or murder their family members. Of course, I'm speaking in generalities. So people are hedging their bets. Out of 7 adopted children, we only have one boy. He's in intensive psychiatric care. Our girls are doing well.

re: Adoptive Parents Say: Boys Are Too Much Trouble

Stretch Mark Mama — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 23:14:45 GMT

Girls are preferred gender -- worldwide -- when looking at what adoptive parents want. Why? It's not just that they think they are easier to raise (they're not) but it also comes down to the carrying-on-the-family-name / bloodline kind of thing. Is that right? No. But does it have a ring of truth? Yes.