A child is for life ... !

It seems a Dutch couple have handed back their 7 year old adopted daughter because

she didn't "fit in" with their life-style.

I'm not sure I could be any angrier about anything right now. OK, so it's the daily mail, a decidedly dubious source, so I checked it out in other papers.

International Herald Tribune
Reuters
MSNBC

There are plenty more papers that have picked it up too so it appears to be a genuine case.

From the Reuters' article:

"The diplomat gave no explanation for his decision except to say 'the adoption had gone wrong'," the paper reported.

How does an adoption 'go wrong' precisely? The answer, of course, is that it doesn't. The couple have simply discovered that they can have children after all and are no longer interested in their "fake" adopted child.

"A dog is for life, not just for Christmas" has been used as an effective advertising slogan to prevent people from buying pets for their kids which turn out to be a nine day wonder. Perhaps we need a similar campaign for children.

I'm sure it is my adoptee status which makes this a particularly sensitive subject for me but I have two brothers, one is adopted, the other is "real" (a phrase we used to use as children to make the distinction, and not meant in any way to be derogatory towards anybody). Not only is the youngest real, but he came as somewhat of a surprise. I don't imagine for one fraction of a second that my parents (and that is what they are) regretted adopting myself or my other brother.

That anybody could even consider this shows they have a total lack of character and respect for others.

They are obviously totally unsuitable diplomats and I would like to call for them to be stripped of their diplomatic status immediately and returned to their own country in disgrace.