The Children Who Wait
Marsha Traugot
Marsha Traugot's essay "The children Who Wait" discusses the scene of adoption in American context.
Marsha Traugot begins her essay with the picture of Tammy, which has been published in a magazine with the hope that someone would be ready to adopt her. She is five and half years old with the face of Mona Lisa. The writer describes her unadaptable child had she been born before 1960. During that period only white healthy children were considered adaptable. Physically deformed children’s were referred as damaged goods. No one was ready to adopt such children. The children who were black, mixed racial group, handicapped and over five years were not adopted by families. This view, however, started disappearing after the sixties. People’s attitude towards them gradually became positive. The change in thoughts was brought by various factors. Traugot mentions black civil right movement, legalization of abortion, change in attitude of the people, and change in government's policy as responsible factors. Black civil rights movement brought sympathetic attitude towards black people. White people started regarding them as humans and treated accordingly. Another responsible factor was women's movement. Because of women’s movement they got right to decide on the matter of childbirth in addition to other right. The lady who had to do abortion to maintain her status could live with dignity with her child. It has the impact in reduction of unwanted children. The third factor responsible for change in attitude was government's policy towards adoption. The government used to emphasize on foster care before the seventies. As they became aware about the drawbacks of foster care, they made changes in their policy. Rater than emphasizing on foster care, they tried to find permanent home for the homeless children. Another factor responsible is the role played by social activists. Their campaign brought changes not only in attitude of the people but also in their behavior. Prior to the 1960, the social activists considered white, two parent, and middle or upper class childless family as an ideal adoptive family. But now the situation has changed. The social workers give children for adoption to even single or two parents, black or biracial, upper class or working class, childless or families with older siblings. The catch phrase of the social worker is ‘matching’. Activists try to get proper family for destitute child. Unlike previous activists, they can't get two-parent family. Instead of searching for two-parent family, they need to evaluate the characteristic of a child and match it with the proper family. Now adoption agencies collect the lists of parents who want to adopt child. They match qualities of children with the need of parents, let both of them meet and interact. They even hold meetings and discuss about the children and the types of families where they can put them. Now adoption agencies collect the lists of parents who want to adopt child. They match qualities of children with the need of parents, let both of them meet and interact. If this system does not work, they publish the profile of homeless children in television or newspaper to look for adoptive parents.
Q. Whom does Marsha Traugot refer to as the children who wait? [ 2057-3]
Q. What had happened to the handicapped children in the past? [065-3]
Q. Why was it difficult for the handicapped and the black children to find foster family? [060-3]
Q. What kinds of parents were considered suitable for adopting children? What kind of children were considered 'Unadoptable'? [062-3]
= According to Traugot, before 1960, there were strict rules for child adoption in America. Only white, healthy and child within infancy were considered fit for adoption. Any handicapped, black or biracial or child more than five years old were considered unadoptable. Any handicapped child was thought as a damaged thing. Even parents who were considered suitable for adopting children had to be middle class and childless white couple, having their own home.
Q. According to Traugot , what changes are transforming the American adoption scene? What factors are responsible for the changes? [060-3]
= After 1960 in America, many factors such as black right movement, women's movement, legalized abortion, social science research, change in social values and high expense of running foster home are transforming the American adoption scene. Now any type of child or any type of parents can be adoptive child or adoptive parents.
Q. How do the adoption agencies find the potential parents? (The Children Who Wait)
Ans. “The Children Who Wait” by Marsha Traugot discusses the adoption system and problems in America in twentieth century. In this story there are three parties: the children waiting for adoption, the family to adopt them and agencies to look after them and to search for suitable adoptive family. In the beginning black and disabled children had to wait for a long time. White and good children were adopted easily. Agents had to find out potential parents especially for black over age, and handicapped children. They had to look for both or one biracial parents for black children. For disabled or handicapped children, the agents had to look for parents who did not think the children could be all rounder or they could think mental capacity was only a factor of life. So, agents had to advertise or give information about the children to the potential parents.
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Credential: Dr. Ramesh Adhikari
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