Bittersweet

‎"Hello,

After serious consideration, we have decided to cancel our Adoption Blogs by Moms – 2012 contest. Our Top 25 program is meant to celebrate, connect, and support mom bloggers. Following some feedback from participants in our 2011 contest, we decided to make this year's Top 25 more inclusive. In doing so, we unknowingly stepped into a very sensitive issue and debate, and we apologize to all the moms who have been offended, no matter what your position on adoption is. We're committed to finding a way to give all parties in the Adoption Triad a voice on Circle of Moms. If we run a Top 25 Adoption Blogs in the future, we'll consult with mom bloggers in each part of the Adoption Triad on how to create a supportive contest where all bloggers would feel welcome and respected by Circle of Moms and by all participants. We appreciate the time and energy every participant put into this contest during the past week, and we sincerely regret that we can't reward those efforts in the way we had planned to when we launched the contest.

We will be closing the contest at 3pm PST today and all blogs will be removed from the contest page.

Sincerely,
The Circle of Moms Team"

 

Do I think that the contest was biased?  Yes. 

 

Do I think that it was really crappy for the Circle of Moms team to send out disqualification notices to some of my friends who were entered in the contest?  You betcha.

 

But as Linda said, they haven't just silenced a few of our friends.  They've silenced ALL of us. 

 

"If we run a Top 25 Adoption Blogs in the future, we'll consult with mom bloggers in each part of the Adoption Triad on how to create a supportive contest where all bloggers would feel welcome and respected by Circle of Moms and by all participants."

 

 

They should have had that with this contest.  And they would have, had they not decided to play favorites and delete the blogs with which they disagreed.

 

My feeling is that there were adoptive mothers who had their blogs on the list who started complaining about the bloggers who aren't cheerleaders for the adoption cause.

 

Well, isn't the point of reading blogs?  To get different perspectives on life and things that are important to you?  I don't agree with some of their blogs either, but that doesn't mean I'd tell the owners of an online contest to disqualify them.

 

 

 

But Drivel Like THIS Makes The Cut?

When I was eight years old or so, Cabbage Patch kids were huge.  We’re talking, lines out the door to get those dolls with the “authentic” adoption certificate.  The only thing that separated the dolls from actual adopted babies was that they came with their “birth” names. 

Mine was Sophia Charlotte.

The thought of Cabbage Patch kids now makes me cringe.  But back then, it comforted me to hug Sophia at night because she was adopted too…and I had to take care of her and save her from the mean adoptive mother and father who shared the house with us.

Adoption isn’t something to be joked about.  Especially when you are the one who is being entrusted to care for a child.

Please, for the love of all that is good and shiny in the world, DON’T COMPARE YOUR ADOPTED CHILD TO CABBAGE PATCH KID DOLLS.

Who am I addressing in this post?

Why, it’s one of the blogs that hasn’t been disqualified from the Circle of Moms fiasco, of course…

The link will take you to the post that I’m fired up about.  Check out the last paragraph and tell me whether that sounds supportive or positive to you.

Go ahead.  I’ll wait.

What’s that you say?  You couldn’t even get past the first sentence?  Well, here, let me help you out.

I’ve posted about this blog before.   Disliked it then…dislike it even more now.

"However, they may be justified in confusing his doll like status because with these glasses on I think he could totally pass for a Cabbage Patch Kid.  Man, wouldn't adoption be so much easier if we could just tell our kids that they sprouted from a cabbage patch?  Or even explaining child birth?  That's it.  I've just made the executive decision.  I'm erasing all prior history and until I decide otherwise, it is now official that ALL of my children came from the cabbage patch. And on that note, I've also decided that I must now go and teach my children how to dance the cabbage patch because it's a critical life skill- like math or brushing your teeth or removing rodents from your hair." ~ Megan

A million times more, in fact.

I'd NEVER Win Your Contest, Huh?

I'm mad right now..so mad, in fact, that I'm writing twice in one day when my blog posting has been sporadic at best lately. 

There's this poll that you can vote on...did you know about it?  It's run by Circle of Moms and it's to vote on the Top 25 Blogs by Moms.  It's for mom bloggers who write about adoption and foster parenting. 

So far so good?

Amanda from The Declassified Adoptee and Claudia from Musings of the Lame are in contention still...but the Powers That Be over at Circle of Moms have decided that Cassi...sweet, beautiful Cassi of AdoptionTruth needs to be silenced and have taken her out of the competition.

See, they rigged their contest.  It's open to adoptive parents, foster parents, adult adoptees, birthmothers, etc. etc. etc...but...here's the issue...and why they kicked Cassi so unceremoniously to the curb. They only want bloggers who talk about adoption in a positive and supportive manner.  ::insert projectile vomiting here:

I'm glad that Amanda and Claudia are still fighting the good fight and getting the word out...but I'm sad that anyone else who disagrees with adoption as it stands now are always being seen as pariahs.

Sorry Circle of Moms...you've got it all wrong.  Shame on you. 

I'm an adult adoptee.  I'm a mom.  And I'm positive that I don't support adoption.  Can I be on your list?