After the last post on adoption a la "As Seen On TV," I got to thinking, apparently never a good thing, since I keep coming back to the Korean TV drama series. Have you ever watch one of those? You would start laughing or crying and proceed on crying on and off throughout the show. Since 99% of the shows are limited run, meaning everyone knows exactly how long the show last so the directors would milk the shows for all its worth, putting in as much clique as possible. An extremely common plot device is an character who turns out to be adopted but somehow get embroiled into old family grudge. Somehow, the adopted kids always have to choose between the adopted family and the birth family. Add that to the fact that Korean culture, and the rest of Asia, pretty much insist on blood ties and we have fireworks.
Just look to the right, that's a Kdrama called "I'm Sorry I Love You." Don't you feel sad already? I mean, I can tell before I watch the show, there's going to be a lot of crying/Kleenex and at the end of the movie someone will die, probably of cancer.
If you want a taste of Kdrama and movie, just watch this music video, you understand what I mean.
All that ramblings lead me to Naleigh. So have you seen her? Katherine Heigl and hubby Josh Kelley adopted a daughter from Korea named Nancy Leigh, or Naleigh, to be their first child. She is a special need child that made the adoption process faster than normal.
Though the adoption process was arduous, Heigl confessed to Ellen DeGeneres that it was worth it. Korea seems to be VERY throughout in the vetting period. Well, I do think a 40 page long questionnaire is extensive and that's just on the child-rearing philosophy, mind you.
Naleigh looks bright and cute in this picture. I sure hope she'll have a sibling to play with... whenever mommy quits Grey's Anatomy, that is.
One thing we know for sure is that Naleigh would never have to make that awful choice like the Kdrama actors have to, right?
In response to your closing question, I feel that it is pretty safe to say that Naleigh will never have to make that choice directly. It seems that with international adoption, it is more difficult for children to connect with their birth parents if they desire. One of my friends was actually adopted from Korea as a baby and was raised by white American parents. She has not seemed to really desire to meet her birth parents. However, I do wonder if children adopted internationally do struggle internally with pressure to "choose" a culture. I don't know the answer to this.
well, I do think that if the adoptive parents are "savvy" enough at educating their children about the birth culture, the children would be well informed and so could decide on their course of action. Whether they'd want to contact their birth parents or not, I think that's too personal to predict.
Just look to the right, that's a Kdrama called "I'm Sorry I Love You." Don't you feel sad already? I mean, I can tell before I watch the show, there's going to be a lot of crying/Kleenex and at the end of the movie someone will die, probably of cancer.
In response to your closing question, I feel that it is pretty safe to say that Naleigh will never have to make that choice directly. It seems that with international adoption, it is more difficult for children to connect with their birth parents if they desire. One of my friends was actually adopted from Korea as a baby and was raised by white American parents. She has not seemed to really desire to meet her birth parents. However, I do wonder if children adopted internationally do struggle internally with pressure to "choose" a culture. I don't know the answer to this.
ReplyDeletewell, I do think that if the adoptive parents are "savvy" enough at educating their children about the birth culture, the children would be well informed and so could decide on their course of action. Whether they'd want to contact their birth parents or not, I think that's too personal to predict.
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