Statitics

Taken from the World Fact Book, the World Bank, and US Department of State....

Out of 100 Children born in Guatemala....
1 will be adopted by a US family
5 will not make it to their 5th birthday
22 will NEVER see the inside of a school
28 will NEVER learn how to read and write
74 will NEVER make it to the 7th grade
84 will need to travel over an hour to a health care facility

This really makes you think. I just want everyone to know that, although our Guatemalan princess will have many more oppurtunities than her peers who are raised in Guatemala we are in no way "saving" her. She is saving us from a life without the oppurtunity to love our own child, a life of knowing what it is like to a mom, and a life without her.

There are a few things I would like to explain - eventhough she will be an American when she arrives in the US she is still very much a Gutemalan. We never want her to lose that part of who she is, and we will make every effort to be sure that she is connected to her heritage.

Second, people make the assumption that because we live in the US we need to stand on our soapboxes (like I am doing right now) and be sure we pass on our Western views to everyone else. In Guatemala (and EVERYWHERE else) people place their children for adoption for various reasons. A small percent is for the wrong reasons, but we should all beleive that the majority is for the right reasons.


Women in Guatemala do usually place more than one child for adoption there are reasons for this, such as they are not taught about the female reproduction system. I know you are thinking it is so obvious, but if you never talked about sex and were never taught that sex makes a baby then how would you know. It is also socially taboo to have a baby out of wedlock they will be kicked out of their house and even out of their village or town. Birth control is not available they are Catholic and it is against their religion to use birth control even if it were available. Abortion is illegal and if you are found to have had an abortion you will go to jail. Many of us never know how we would be if would have been born and raised in Guatemala or anywhere, but it is not our place to judge others and it never will be. So just try to imagine that you are in their shoes. If you beleive in god then it his/her place to judge. This also is true will all matters so just keep it in mind.

A few more things...
We understand that people say things and don't realize how it sometimes sounds, but here are some correct words to use and if you forget no big deal we still have a hard time sometimes with them...

"real parents" = biological parents (we will be her "real" parents)

"given up for adoption" = placed for adoption (we don't want her to ever feel as if this was an easy decision or her birth mother gave her away)

I will continue to add to this list as I see fit and don't worry if you don't use all the correct terms, but please try.

Anyway I will get off my soap box now and we will keep everyone informed
till then.....