Scare Tactics

Friends told us that once our adopted children could speak the language that they would tell us things that they didn't know how to explain before. Yesterday we were chatting with the boys and got into a discussion about some of the things that they were told about Americans to try to keep them from consenting to adoption. Hearting these things that were told to them by their trusted teachers made me appreciate their bravery even more. Here is what they were told:

1. Americans only want to adopt them because they will get a lot of money from the Ukrainian government every month. (they probably have this confused with foster care where the families are paid to care for the kids. Vitaly still thinks we are entitled to money from Ukraine and that they are just cheating us by not paying up.) I think this is so funny. If anyone else gets a check, let me know :)

2. Americans will be really nice to you until they get you home and then they will be really mean to you. (OK so we were pretty nice in Ukraine and now we don't buy them Sprite and candy bars everyday but they agree that we are not "really mean."

3. Americans only want you so they can sell your heart and get money.

4. Mormons will make you get married when you are 12 if you are a girl.

5. Mormons are really bad people.

6. A friend says that her kids were told to be really nice to us and carry our bags etc. so that we would be so happy to adopt them.


I had heard that some of these things were spread around to others from other orphanges in the past, but I didn't know it happened in OUR orphanage. So much for that idea :)

Kind of funny to learn what they were up against. It kind of makes me want to have them write letters to their old friends and teachers and tell about how great their life is here and that they still have all their guts inside.