Petty 1

Megan Petty
Mr. Poindexter
Honors English 9
23 February 2016
The Benefits of Adoption
The average foster kid spends three years in foster care before being adopted, sent back
home, or even aging out of the program.1 While this may not seem like too long, these three
years of shifting from house to house and living with complete strangers can have a drastic effect
on a little kids life. The best way to avoid having children in foster care for such a long time is
adoption. Adoption has a lasting impact on foster kids by providing them with a safe place to
grow up, supplying them with basic necessities that they have never been able to have before,
and keeping them out of trouble as they grow up.
Contrary to what many people think, most children in foster care are not the bad kids. In fact,
the majority of foster kids have been removed from their birth family because of having been put
in dangerous situations by their parents. About 21.3% of foster kids have been physically abused,
11.3% have been sexually abused, and 35.9% have been maltreated by their biological parents. If
these kids were not placed in foster care and later adopted they would be stuck in this setting
with no way out. No one is around to help or believe that a little four-year-old gets beat up every
day or that a twelve year old is sexually abused by her own father.2
1 "Virginia ADOPTION FACTS - North American Council on ..." 2015. 7 Mar. 2016
<https://www.nacac.org/policy/statefactsheets/Virginia%20ADOPTION%20FACTS.pdf>

2 Foster Care and Adoption are Preferable to Family Preservation 2006. 7 Mar. 2016
<http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?
failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&displayquery=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&dis
playGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&docu
mentId=GALE
%7CEJ3010104279&source=Bookmark&u=char74459&jsid=dc910c893553ead6e7e0d04036014158>

Petty 2

Another unsafe environment that is often seen in the original homes of children and teens who
are adopted is drug and alcohol abuse. The Daily Progress gave a first hand report from an
adopted child. The girls mother, an alcoholic, fell asleep with a cigarette and accidently set the
house on fire.3 Accidents like this happen daily with foster kids throughout the US. It is unsafe
for kids to live in an environment where they could die at any moment because of the poor
choices of their parents. When these kids are adopted they are placed in a safer environment
where their lives are not on the line every day. This has a huge impact on the lives of kids by
insuring that they can live long and well.
In addition, sometimes a parent might not have the money to take care of and provide for a child.
58.4% of foster kids have been neglected by their biological family.4 This can be anywhere from
not getting enough food or other basic necessities to even being abandoned on the streets. Kids
facing child neglect may not be getting necessary nutrients or care to even survive to adulthood.
By putting these children in a different home they have a better chance of survival.
The second way that adoption helps kids is by providing them with their basic needs. When a
social worker comes to take a kid to a foster home the child has only a few minutes to pack as
much as they can into a trash bag or a small suitcase. If they were lucky they might have one or
two toys, a book, and a few outfits. Many kids dont even have a winter coat. Kids may not even

3 "Fostering love - The Daily Progress." 2014. 7 Mar. 2016

<http://www.dailyprogress.com/cvillewoman/hot_topics/fostering-love/article_67222d2c-124d-5200-a9dfa3093a797e45.html>

4 Foster Care and Adoption are Preferable to Family Preservation 2006. 7 Mar. 2016
<http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/ViewpointsDetailsWindow?
failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&displayquery=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Viewpoints&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&dis
playGroups=&sortBy=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&docu
mentId=GALE
%7CEJ3010104279&source=Bookmark&u=char74459&jsid=dc910c893553ead6e7e0d04036014158>

Petty 3

get enough food in foster care or in their biological homes. Once they are adopted their parents
can by them more things. They dont have to worry about moving so often and only being able to
a few of their belongings. Having their own special things will mean alot to any kid who has
never owned a single toy in their whole life.
Adoptive parents can also give children consistency. Many families do not want to enter
into a long term foster care commitment. Sometimes the longest stay a social worker can find for
a kid is a couple of weeks. The shortest visits may be less than 24 hours before being shuffled off
to the next house. Kids are afraid to make friends because they never know how long they will
get to stay put. When a child is adopted, he or she can stay in one house with one family, one
school, and one group of friends. They are given time to make connections and form bonds. This
encourages social activity and, eventually, trust. Both of these are important aspects in the life of
a child and as an adult who has been exposed to the real world and has to interact with others.
A third thing that foster kids lack is freedom. The foster care systems place many rules
and restrictions on children under their care. Unlike most teens, high schoolers in foster care
cant get their drivers license or stay at a friends house overnight. They cant even have their
non-biological grandparents watch them without going through a complicated process with lots
of paperwork. An adopted child, on the other hand, becomes the legal child of their new family.
They can behave like a normal kid which is the main desire for almost all foster kids. If they are
never provided with this freedom, they may not be ready to act on their own and be legally
independent when they turn 18. Having even a few years of being normal before being
independent can make a world of difference in a persons life.5

5 "Six Things You Should Know About Growing up in Foster Care." 2015. 8 Mar. 2016
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-lee/six-things-you-should-kno_b_7605666.html>

Petty 4

Finally, adoption helps keep kids out of legal, financial, and mental trouble as they get older. A
study in Illinois in shows that 80% of their prisoners were a foster child at one time. Another
study in 2006 showed that over one third of foster kids had committed a felony within three
years of leaving the system. In addition, 23% of men and 8% of women from foster care were
convicted of a crime. 45% of the men and 18% of the women had been imprisoned at some point
as well. These statistics prove that a child who grows up in foster care is more likely to break the
law. Also, 38% of runaways, 90% of homeless kids, and 25% of homeless adults were in foster
care at one point. Only 54% of foster kids graduate from high school. Even fewer graduate
college. Without a good education it is hard to find a job, much less one that pays well. Also, the
amount of people in the streets often shows that they cannot afford a house. Both of these are
signs of foster kids getting into financial trouble. In the case of the juvenile runaways, they will
likely get involved in crime in order to provide for themselves.Kids in foster care were often
mistreated by their biological parents, which can result in a higher risk of having PTSD or BPS.
In fact, 57% of people from foster care have been diagnosed with a mental illness. If foster kids
are adopted at a young age they can be raised like normal kids and will not have been mistreated
as much. This will result in less legal, financial, and mental problems later on.6
Kids in foster care are often from unsafe environments. They are not able to have or do as much
as other kids. They also tend to get into more trouble than other people once they are adults.
When these kids are adopted it has a life long impact on their lives. They are put in a safer home
where they can be treated more normally and will not get in as much trouble.

6 "A Critical Look at Foster Care: Foster Care Outcomes." 2003. 10 Mar. 2016
<http://www.liftingtheveil.org/foster14.htm>

Petty 5

Works Cited
"A Critical Look at Foster Care: Foster Care Outcomes." A Critical Look at Foster Care: Foster
Care Outcomes. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
"Fostering Love." The Daily Progress. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
Lee, Mary. "Six Things You Should Know About Growing up in Foster Care." The Huffington
Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.
Marshner, Connie. "Foster Care and Adoption Are Preferable to Family Preservation." Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Greenhaven Press, 2006. Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
"Virginia Adoption Facts." North American Council on Adoptable Children. NACAC, 2014.
Web. 7 Mar. 2016.
"World Book Online Reference Center | Online Reference Book| Online Encyclopedia." World
Book. Web. 08 Mar. 2016.