The Game: Competitive Baby Matching
The Players; 12 Baby Mamas, unborn babies, unspecified amount of possible Baby Daddies, 25 adoptive families, one adoption counselor
The Purpose: To have a baby placed in an adoptive home permanently
Rules: Baby Mamas must agree to give their baby up for adoption. They will choose the couple that their baby will be placed with. Baby Daddies must relinquish their rights. Adoption counselors will coordinate matches between the birthmother and adoptive family. Adoptive family will wait, pay $$, wait, pay more $$, wait some more, pay even more $$ all while praying like crazy and getting their home ready in hopes to have a baby placed with them.
The twist: There are twice as many adoptive families than babies, the baby daddy might decide to not allow the adoption to happen, and the baby mama can change her mind up to 48 hours after the baby is born.
Game is over when: The baby is successfully placed with adoptive family an no one has lost their mind in the process.
Competitive baby matching is what I call what we learned about tonight at the adoption seminar. Right now at Methodist Mission Home the ratio of adoptive parents to birth mother is 2:1. This means the average wait time 18-24 months! I feel like we are in competition with other adoptive families to be matched with a baby. How is the birth mother going to pick out the right family? Why would she choose us over some other family? What if she changes her mind at the last minute? So many unanswered questions. The adoption counselor said that there is a trend nationwide that birthmothers who had intentions of putting their babies up for adoption have now decided to parent them. Just in the last 6 months, 17 of their birthmothers decided to drop from the program and parent their babies! Also, she said the abortion rate has increased too. I wish those babies would have been given a chance. I would love to rescue one from being aborted.
On the encouraging side of things...Noel and I are really happy with this agency. Their fees are more reasonable than most, they offer so many other services, and they are Christ centered. They have been around for 130 years and have a great reputation. It is up to the birthmomther to choose the family, so the match could happen very quickly. Just because we may be family 25 of 25, she could pick us right away. And the best news, God is who is in control and already knows who our child will be. I'll just trust in Him.
Oh, by the way, last Sunday at church, all 14,000 of us, at the same time, prayed to God for rain. In San Antonio we have been in a drought for months and months. Everyone's grass is dead, crops are dying, and we are on water restrictions. I am typing to the sound of rain and thunderstorms in the background. "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:19. Thank you God for the rain! Now, can we have a baby?
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