Angelina Jolie may adopt from Russia

Actually, I think that the perception will be much more negative towards children coming from Russian orphanages, particularly if she does adopt from a Chechen orphanage. Remember what happened when Romania's orphans hit 20/20 - that's all we heard about when we started our adoption process... This comment was a bit unfair. Why should a famous actress' preferences be considered more important than a regular family? We didn't "insist" on a blond haired, blue eyed child and, in fact, the picture of our son showed a red haired, dark eyed little boy. Thanks to the poor quality of the film, our son turned out to be blond and blue eyed, but he is a Russian after all and these traits are very common among the populace? As for the age, why should couples, many of whom suffer from infertility, be forced to adopt older children? Why is it "selfish" to want a child "as young as possible" to experience what other families experience when they give birth to a child? I doubt that most infertile couples chose to be infertile. The fact of the matter is that ALL the children in Russian orphanages need help and people who specify traits shouldn't be condemned for making those decisions.

I am not a huge fan of Angelina. I have a couple of comments to add, though. I have a family member [now deceased] who was a celebrity, and he gave interviews many times and was totaly misquoted. The press often gets things wrong, or they present the facts in such a way that the story is slanted. Don't believe what you read about any public figure - or at least take it with a big grain of salt. Even well-respected newspapers get stuff wrong. The big picture here is that Jolie is turning a spotlight on International adoption, and in my view that's a good thing. I came back from my first trip desperately praying to somehow be able to find homes for the kids I met, and it just breaks my heart that I can't afford to adopt them all. Just about every day, it seems, I talk to couples who want kids but are daunted by the fear of the unknown, the fear that international adoption is too tough - I myself faced that. But if she shows them it's possible - celebrity preferential treatment or not, I don't care - if it means finding a good home for even ONE child, then she has done something phenomenal, in my opinion. My only gripe is that I wish she would adopt a child who is older than a baby, to show how wonderful it is to adopt older kids. Dee Thompson

First off, She has to go through every step of a Russian adoption that any other person would have to go though. She has stated plainly that it will be within the next year that her child arrives in her arms forever. So even a famous actress can't make the wheels go faster. Fast homestudy? I get them done for my families within 3 weeks of everything being submitted to me. Our last homestudy began on January 22 and was in our hands on February 18th! Pretty fast wouldn't you say? And we did not have to pay extra for it to be expedited for us. As for her being in an orphanage: She is the UN ambassador for children for goodness sakes! She has made a movie about Chechneya (Beyond Borders) and would be curious about the region. As for her public relationships: I wonder what things we would hear about ourselves if the world really wanted to know about us? And just how much do you think would be 100% true? I think it is a great thing that she is doing. With her money she could easily adopt domestically like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, Rosie O'Donnell, etc. However, her preference is to have children that need a family. How is that wrong? If she can get the process done faster due to her status as a UN Ambassador, good for her, that is one less child going without a mother!

I wasn't aware she was the UN Ambassador for Children. I really don't follow much on anyone in Hollywood. I actually just heard this briefly on the radio one morning while driving to work and was a bit concerned hearing what I did. Not knowing this information would concern someone who has already adopted from Russia and knows the way things go. Although I did hear the agency she used to adopt her son has been involved in the baby selling scheme and now adoptions are closed in Cambodia. Not sure if this is true just something I heard through the grapevine. I just hope she does nothing to mess up adoptions from Russia for everyone else hoping to adopt. Vicki

Corrier- I don't know your situation and honestly won't take the time to look at your previous posts to find out. I will, however, comment on your post. We all select international adoption for various reasons and no one else EVER has the right to question our decisions. Just as no one has the right to question the reason why we do or do not make specific requests regarding anything about our future children. I can say we did request an infant girl when we adopted our daughter...but we requested a healthy child. We were then told of a referral for an infant girl but she had been hospitalized her entire life. She was not healthy, nor blonde, but blue eyed. I could have cared less about anything other than getting her home and healthy. Simply put, she would have died in Russia if we had not adopted her when we did. For our son we requested an infant girl of Asian decent...darker hair and eyes...until we were presented with our son...blonde haired and blue eyed...we accepted him regardless...he was destined to be our child...who now has a serious eye condition, he may or may not be legally blind and we won't know until October. Again, all I care about is giving him the best in life...the best life possible in spite of any roadblocks thrown his way. If we adopt again, it will be a toddler boy...based solely on what we saw in the orphanages...but it took us 4 trips to Russia to honestly realize how desperate their situation is. I could never fault someone for not understanding the staggering numbers of boys left in the system, especially someone who has never had the opportunity to witness it first hand. I personally took much offense to your post and I am sorry if I am coming off harsh...but.... As for Angelina...couldn't care less about her and how she lives her life...I just hope there are only positives being reflected to Russian adoption by her involvement in it. Now stepping down off my soapbox....

Hockeymom... Wow, you had a fast home study, but not everyone does. Mine took 3 months to be completed, and that was the sw, not us. We did everything as quickly as possible (all paperwork completed within 2 weeks). So, just because it was quick for some doesn't mean it was quick for all of us. I think that if any of us believe Ms. Jolie goes through the EXACT same wait and process that we do, we're kidding ourselves. Money talks, no matter the language. It's just a fact of life. I'm sure her wait won't be nearly as long as most of us, and mostly that will be due to her celebrity and her money. I can't fault her for using what she has to get what she wants. I'd do the same if in her shoes. I do admire her for her dedication to adopting orphans, though. I just would hate to see her name jump in front of someone who's been waiting for months for their child. Corrier... You seem to be under some misconception that all of us want blue eyes, blond hair, as young as possible. If you'd read some of the posts, you'd notice that many of us are adopting toddlers and older children, of whatever descent. The bottom line is that we all want to be parents. My husband and I requested a bi-racial child of Asian descent, but the child we were referred is not Asian in any way. We love her nonetheless, and will complete our adoption as soon as possible. You made a blanket statement that I'm sure sounded worse than you intended, but before making such statements in the future, you might consider taking a look at the posts and the families here to get to know the whole picture.

I enjoyed reading the many opinions and comments that were reflected. I just wanted to add that although I cannot comment on international adoption (soon to be mother of 4 domestic adopted children) it sounds like the wait time must be excruciating to so many out there. As hard as it is, I hate to admit it but money probably (along with status) does account for alot in life. I would say that I am a fan of hers because I have because of her plights to better humanity, regardless of the reason. For those out there who are interested (or even not) I highly HIGHLY encourage you to read her book entitled NOTES FROM MY TRAVELS. It opened my eyes up to so much including how lucky we are to be where we are as well as the cultures that 'our' children possess. Thank you for your time, Heidi and CO.

"Me thinks you all protest-eth too much.":-) If my comment about those who requested blond-haired blue- eyed infant girls didn't apply to you, then why repond to me? There are children of all descriptions living in these dire circumstances in orphanges. I applaud you all, including Angelina, no matter what who was requested or received! No matter what the intentions, the outcome is the same--in many cases you are saving the lives of innocent children. Thanks to those who responded to my other points. By the way, my bio son is blond-haired and blue-eyed and he is beautiful even if he isn't a girl. O.k. everyone take your shots on that one! --Corrie

Well, I think you raised some of our hackles by implying that most people make this specification, and we wanted to educate you on the facts. I don't think we're protesting as much as correcting any misconceptions folks might have out there. There are many. Your son sounds beautiful, and you're very lucky to be able to have a biological child. I don't think anyone is "taking shots" at you for anything. If you do intend to adopt in the future, as your bio said, I applaud you for that. Then maybe you'll fully understand why feelings are sometimes worn on the sleeve when it comes to our adoptions and off hand comments that are made regarding them.

For someone who works with adoptive families...you really should become more sensitive to adoption, especially Russian adoption and the issues and emotions relating to it. Why inflame us? Take the education we are offering you and use it for the good of finding homes for the orphans and educating people on the whole. Until you have walked a mile in our shoes...

Where can I sign up to be the UN Ambassador for Children? ;-) Shana

Um, which role did you play in "Tomb Raider"?!?! LOL!

Wow! I thought I wrote quite a bit in my post. I'm sorry this one statement (that was just a statement, not an accusation or criitique of everyone (or anyone for that matter) on this board, hit such a nerve and was taken out of context. FYI- I choose not to have more children myself. I have one bio son 15 months old who is the center of our universe. It has nothing to do with biology I assure you in my case. You give them love and nurture them and rock them and hold them and they become yours in your heart. There is no greater feeling, bio or not. We will adopt our next child and hopefully more after that as well. With all the kids in the world who are already here and need homes and families, this is what my husband and I have chosen to do. As for my work and my "lack of sensitivity", I must tell you that I volunteer my time to the organization that brings Russian orphans to the U.S. in hopes of connecting them with adoptive families. I know personally many couples and single women who have gone through the process and the children they have adopted or who they are waiting to adopt. I feel their pain. I feel their joy as much as I can without being in their exact circumstances. Out of 17 children who came on our last hosting program, 15 are being adopted. One girl returned to Russia , where her mother is petitioning the government to get her back. The mother is now out of jail and reportedly reformed. One more boy remains to be placed and I have every belief that he will be. He is a beautiful and interactive boy of 7 years. Let me know if you would like to know more about him. I also know these children very personally. I chaperoned them on field trips and helped set up tables for their lunches. I ran after them at the park and watched them play at the beach for their very first time. I gave them hugs and took pictures of them with my digital camera, which thrilled them to no end when they saw their pictures on the spot. I bought them new clothes and collected new toys for them. I was in charge of press relations for the last program (a job I had never done before) and got 30 articles placed in local papers, 2 radio interviews, and two television interviews within a 3 month period of time. I also donated my own money to send the children on field trips and organized five of the field trips they went on. I personally called and emailed all of the t.v., radio stations and newspapers myself in order to get publicity for the program and broadcast the opportunity for children and parents to connect. I thank you for offerring the education to me. I have done extensive research on Russian orphans, orphanages, the process, statistics etc. It seems there is one thing I left out--the adoptive parents, and what is or is not appropriate to share with them in the way of my opinions. I apologize. You can accuse me of a whole bunch of stuff, but insensitivity would be amiss. I am no surely no saint, but I love the kids and care about the outcome of their lives. That is where I come from. Those are the shoes I am walking in. I wish you all the best in your process and adventure of parenthood. Its the best thing I've ever done in my life. The second best is advocating for orphans to find loving families and being able to witness these miracles in front of my eyes. No public replies to this post necessary. If you have anything positive to say, please pm me. This is my last public post. --Corrie

I think Corrie was just thinking out loud. Everyone has been waiting so long and to even think a "celeb" might be offered shortcuts is disturbing to everyone. I'm sure she didn't mean that you're being picky and want an "all American looking child". she just blurted what was on her mind. At one time or another we've all said things that have been taken the wrong way, so no sense in getting offended--except for the fact that Jolie is kind of creepy and will probably get a baby when it's convenient for her!

Hey everyone Gleb is here! Im 17 years late to the chat😂 when I was adopted my legal name changed to Elijah sakmar and I live in Johnstown, PA, USA. If your genuinely still interested my email is elijs0771@gmail.com