A Child Is NOT A Prius

  For those of you on the moon, the adoptive "mother " of 7 year old Artem Salvelyev has sent the unaccompanied boy back to Russia with a note. She had phoned a shrink who stated the child may be mentally ill and didn't feel she could cope with an "imperfect" child. So Torry Hansen sent him back like an iPod that plays on continual repeat.

  There are a lot of us who have kids through natural or adoptive means that  have challenges, but they are HUMAN. Parenthood is a responsibility that should be taken seriously. This young fellow was probably scared shitless by being transported to a country with a different language, cultural norms, and different people to call mum and pop.There is going to be a natural adjustment process, but even if the kid has a mental issue, I'm confident that a CARING parent could raise this boy to be a better young man.

  A child is NOT  a disposable being. I know folks who have adopted the most troubled kids to success. One of my closest friends was the 1 pound offspring of junkies who now has a Master's Degree because someone dared to care . Another was raised in a KGB camp and still has the ink they used to mark their property yet nobody would ever know. But that was 30 years ago and we now have a quick-fix culture replete with fast food, fast degrees, and buy-it-quick babies. We have devolved into a selfish version of a Darwinian society that returns sick puppies to pet stores and hurting children to the beyond. We don't CONNECT to anyone other than ourselves, and Mrs. Hansen is a grotesque version, but still the example.

   Because of this, the Russians are justifiably afraid of adopting kids out to Western families. There are so many kids who could live awesome lives with amazing families. Yes, not all kids are perfectly behaved, but love for a microbeing can indeed help most. The majority of folks that adopt kids from countries like Russia have the most exemplary intentions. And it is obvious that Mrs. Hansen views children as an accessory.

   Mrs. Hansen, you stink, but it might actually be better for Artem for you to have sent him back. Hopefully he will now be adopted by someone who can be sensitive to his needs and love him in a way he has never been. If I was more financially well off, I would invite this young man into my home, with or without flaws. Parenting is an acquisition for LIFE , and a privilege as opposed to a right. I hope that nobody permits this family to adopt a child again. Artem Salvelyev was treated in a manner akin to a pet-store rat, but had he been a rodent, PeTA would run to his rescue. There is nobody out there for this child because grown-ups decided that a human is as worthless as a defective Pinto.

Shame on us.