The Children Who Wait, Marsha Traugot

                                                    The Children Who Wait

  

Summary

      'The Children Who Wait' was written by an American writer, Marsha Traugot  a prominent essay on social science research, it depicts the transformation taken place in American adoption scene and outlines some factors responsible for the transformation.

     The essay begins with a profile of a waiting girl called Tammy who at her five and half, is mysterious and appealing. She has so far been waiting at a foster home and has recently freed for adoption. Single parent or two parents, black or b-racial family with older siblings can adopt her now. But if it was the case before 1960, she would be featured as hard-to -place child because she is not white and she is suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome and is beyond infancy. Twenty years ago black and mixed racial children were virtually ignored. A five years old child would be regarded as too old and handicapped children were regarded as damaged goods. So, they have to wait at Foster homes. There was stereotypical notions about ideal prospective family too. Only childless white couples would be regarded as ideal prospective family. But after 1960, the field of adoption underwent a racial transformation. The factors responsible for the changes that brought about transformation are as follows;

i.                    Various civil right movements.

ii.                  Birth control

iii.                Changing values

iv.                Social science research

v.                  Harsh economic reality

vi.                Women's movement

vii.              Increase in availability of birth control

viii.            Legalizing abortion

ix.                Changing attitudes towards marriage and sexual behavior

Because of the factors like birth control legalized abortion and readily available means of family planning, there was dramatic reduction in the birth of unwanted babies. Due to the factors like changing values and changing attitudes towards marriage and sexual behavior, the unmarried mothers could give birth to and bring up their babies without facing social disgrace. These factors gave rise to the storage of white and healthy infants in the foster homes. The shortage in turn again, offered the waiting children an opportunity to be adopted.

The dramatic rise of the waiting children in the foster homes between 1960 and 1978 also compelled the social workers to bring transformation in the field of adoptions. Once the children were stuck in the foster homes, they would be involved in various criminal activities and sexual perversions besides suffering from the problems like pseudo-mental retardation, mental illness and learning disabilities. As a result their future would be dark and uncertain. Moreover, it would cost between $3600 to $24000 a year to keep a child in a foster home. Funding was essential to revitalize the system but since the children did not vote the politicians, they were not willing to invest money on the children. Thus, keeping a child in a foster home proved to be both cruel and expensive.

       Finally, the concept of ideal adoptive family and children changed and the most likely solution turned out to be matching. Because of matching ,a 15 yrs old boy with a history of fighting and poor school performance could be adopted by a single authoritative male. Likewise, an eleven year old boy with Down's syndrome, heart defect and hearing disability could be adopted by a religious working class family with older siblings. In the process of making a match, however the social worker should ignorer the social and ethnic background of the family. Giving importance to the family's ability to provide child care.

      In the process od making a match, the social workers first look at the families listed with them. If there is no appropriate candidate, the child is registered to regional or state adoption exchange. The social workers sometimes organize meetings and parties where the prospective family meet the prospective child informally. If the match cannot still be made, they use social media aggressively.

   1.    According to Traugot, what changes are transforming the American adoption scene? What factors are responsible for the changes?

   According to Traugot, the childless white couples adopted only healthy white babies until 1960 in America. They could not adopt unhealthy, handicapped and black children. Even five years old child was inappropriate for them. But there has been a great change in the American adoption scene. Now, they begin to adopt unhealthy, handicapped and black and even more than five years old children like Tammy. Such children are adopted legally.

         The main factors which are responsible for such changes are the various civil right movements, birth control, legalization of abortion, ca\hanging social values , social science research and harsh economic reality. These factors made great changes in attitudes towards sexual behaviors and marriage. As a result, many unwanted and disabled children were born. There was a scarcity of the white and healthy children. Therefore, the childless couples began to adopt any kind of child.

   2.    Whom does Marsha Traugot refer to as the children who wait?

In "The Children who wait", Marsha Traugot has shown the changes in trends in adoption comparing the past and present and exhibiting various examples. In the past, all the children in foster homes couldn't be adopted. The prevalent law restricted adoption of Black children, handicapped, the unhealthy and the children above 5 years old. Similarly, the children from minority and mixed race were also labeled as unadptable. But after 1960s, especially after second world war, the new trends in adoption were emerged in America. A wider variety of families began to open their homes to such children who in the past could be labelled unadoptable. This helped to raise the standard of justice and humanity. Now any type of child can be adopted from foster homes by the suitable families. Thus, Marsha Traugot refers as the children who wait to those who once were confined to live only in foster homes and now are waiting to get their family and future as well.

   3.    How do the adoption agencies find the potential parents?

   The adoption agencies felt the need of finding a suitable and potential family as per the child's characteristics. Thus, for that matching of children and parents was introduced. Naturally, agencies firs look to the families listed with them. If there are no likely candidates, the child is registered with the regional or state adoption exchange, which distributes a photo and description of child to all other agencies. Some agencies hold monthly meetings where placement workers looking for a match can discuss waiting children or families and they also sponsor parties where children, workers and prospective parents meet informally. Thus the adoption agencies match the child's characters with that of foster families and find the potential parents.

   4.    What is "Fetal alcohol syndrome"? What is a "buzz word"?

Fetal alcohol syndrome refers to a condition in new born babies caused by excessive in take of alcohol by the mother during pregnancy, characterized by various defects including mental retardation.

    Buzz word refers to a word or  phrase, often sounding authoritative or technical that id a vogue term in a particular profession, field of study, popular culture, etc. the buzz word in the adoption scene in the 1970s was matching.

   5.    Describe Tammy and her problems.

Tammy is a five and half year old child who has the smile of Mona Lisa and the cuteness of a kitten. She is petite (very small) with brown eyes and has dark curly hair. Her complexion is light brown. However, behind this outward she is a girl who is suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome and whose intellectual growth could stop at any time. Also she is a lot older for adoption and not a white child. She is black. She has passed through the procedures set by the adoption agency and the regional or state exchange but has found no compassionate family to take her. That is why her profile has been advertised in the "Sunday Child" section of the Boston Globe for the potential family, who could adopt and give her warmth, love and support.

   6.    Comment on the influence of the Black Civil Rights Movement and the women's Movement in helping reform the adoption practices n America.

    The Black Civil Rights Movement and Women's Movement had far reaching and trans-formative effect on the adoption practices in America. The first movement helped in making America a more integrated and discrimination- free society. It helped to change the formerly vindictive attitude of the Whites against the Afro-Americans. In the changed American society, the liberal whites gathered the black and mixed race infants and toddlers into their families. As well as that, the Blacks started to enjoy the riches of justice and decency.

                 The second movement, i.e the Women's Movement, gave women the reproductive rights. There was the easy availability of birth control methods to them. Also abortion was legalized. There was also a changed attitude toward sexual behavior and marriage. Women didn’t have to get married to have sex. Even unwed mothers faced less societal stigma, they reared their child and were supported by their family members. Women's rights advocates pointed out that a mature single woman could care for a child as well as two parents could. All these changes reduced the birth of unwanted babies and thereby  children who could find a passage to foster homes. Thus, the two movements had a positive impact on adoption.

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