persuasive essay

My oldest just went to bed after typing up a persuasive essay she had to do for school. The topic? Adoption of foster children! She is in favor of it! She asked me to print out statistics on adoption from foster care, including the racial break down of who gets adopted--she seemed concerned that the white kids get adopted most frequently. Two words of explanation here: I don't let her use the internet after she used it to set up a MySpace account AND get a 35 year old friend--ICK! That's why she had to ask me to print out resources. Two, my kids are of Mexican descent. I am DYING to read this thing, and I hope she will show it to me when she gets it back. I didn't want to push--so much of raising her is like having a butterfly land on your head; one quick move, and off she goes! Anyway, she also asked for me to print out information about how you would go about doing it. She asked me directly why anyone would have to pay for adoptions--I explained you don't pay for foster care adoptions, and that the fees in other types of adoptions are about administrative costs, not buying a child. This seemed to satisfy her. Anyway, I think it is a very good sign that she sees adoption as a positive thing. I admire her willingness to put this topic out there, it's so personal. I like her interest in factual evidence. She also checked with me to make sure she understood the statistical data so the chart she made is accurate. A slightly geeky interest in accuracy, like what I have! She is coming along!