Thinking of Adopting? . . . an orphan's tips about adopting

 

Orphanages—the good, the bad, and the ugly

 

 

If you and your partner are addicted to withholding significant thoughts from each other you will automatically, non-verbally, teach your adoptee to deceive you—a child has no choice other than to mirror the integrity of the adults around him/her.  —Kerry

 

For example: Parents who withhold thoughts from each other teach their child to be deceptive, evidenced by the fact that most teens con each other into deceiving both sets of parents so as to have sex.

 

1) Few orphans complain about being an orphan because as far as he/she knows, the way things are is life. Most adult orphans confide that their childhood was OK, pretty good, or not bad. Very few say, "It was terrible" and fewer say, "It was great."

 

2) Rest assured, orphans in America eat the USDA's recommended foods, in fact most aren't lacking the minerals and nutrients missing in the diets of many children from low income families.

 

3) Many orphanage facilities are farms that provide food for the other orphanages (for girls) in the state.

 

4) Orphans sleep on clean sheets, have access to dentists, nurses, doctors, counselors, and therapists; no matter the health issue it is addressed. Note: Good or bad, there is no lack of visiting proselytizers trying to recruit and save souls; the religion of the headmaster often determines which religion gets one's mind each week.

 

5) Orphans have chores, but not too taxing. Because many boy's facilities are also farms most of the chores are planting, hoeing, weeding, mowing, haying, feeding and caring for the animals (milking, gathering eggs). Most everyone takes turns waiting on tables and helping with food preparation and doing the dishes. Overall, it's a moderately physically healthy life. I say moderately because we still had enough time and energy to get in trouble—the guilt for some "troubles" got in the way of reading comprehension.

 

6) Christmas is the best time of the year because merchants donate clothing and tickets to entertainment events. Boys, who are bussed to the public high school, are often more conscious about grooming and fashion than the general student body, in part because they receive clothing donations from merchants.

 

7) One would think that boy orphans would do well socially with other boys and men thereafter for life; the same for girls—not necessarily so. Orphans miss out on the experiences of communicating comfortably with adults (males, females and seniors and the wisdom of grandparents) during maturation. All the adults (headmasters/counselors/staff) are busily involved with their specific roles. There are no regular private arm-chair/kitchen-table conversations with at least one adult—missing are the thousands of seemingly unimportant (some personal) interactions most other children have.  In short, no one modeled for them how engage in small talk with adults; because of their uncomfortableness in simply being, many orphans judge small-talk to be "stupid."

 

8) One huge disadvantage for orphans is that boys and girls seldom get to interact with the opposite sex during the critical required time-window (different for each young person). They do not experience the thousands and thousands of seemingly innocuous interactions they are supposed have as do children in co-ed families and schools. Most all adult orphans end up uncomfortable around opposite sex teens, therefore, eventually their own children, for life. I didn't know how to play with my son.

 

9) Because an orphan knows they are different they sometimes adopt unique personalities, brave, strong, smart, daring, cool, punk, etc. Some even act stupid because it's how they get more attention. Others, to get attention, do daring deeds that garner admiration and bragging rights; many of these orphans end up doing well in the military, a significant percentage end up in detention centers or prisons.

 

10) Orphans become super aware of the hypocrisies of adults and the world in general. Broken agreements, not kept seemingly-minor promises, are more proof of the untrustworthiness of adults, therefore such incidents are significant; respect is immediately lost. As such, some orphans develop an attitude of contempt and disrespect towards adults which they mask with super kiss-ass politeness.*

 

11) Because virtually all adults lie and deceive each other some orphans feel, as do members of the Romani (gypsy) culture, who believe, that because people who own too many things got their possessions by being unethical and by being inconsiderate of poor people, they deserve to be deceived/conned; so too are orphans trained to deceive adults and therefore adults deserve to be conned. Unlike gypsies, this behavior is seldom done consciously.

 

12) Orphans receive more advice and admonishments, as to good behavior, than the vast majority of children from mom and pop families; although orphans don't have much respect for adults/counselors, the staff do take their parenting responsibilities seriously. Good manners are the norm. An orphan learns how to con adults by behaving as expected. They learn the social work-therapy lingo and can spout exactly what gets them the best outcomes. Playing the "poor orphan me" card works, especially with guilty adults who have more possessions than their neighbors or, who have not donated to an orphanage.

 

13) Most orphans become proficient liars; they have no choice other than to mirror the integrity of the headmaster (read about Military Academy Scandals. Good behaviors are not about pleasing as they are with "normal" children who, when they are in-communication with their parents are motivated by pride, they don't want to hurt or disappoint. Although orphans and counselors "like" each other the experience of love is missing; together they use what's referred to as the adversarial communication model.

 

14) I can't imagine a boy's orphanage in which there is no homosexual activity; much like prisons, sex is rampant, in part because the children have too much free time and little hour-by-hour watchful monitoring and adult-facilitated living-room conversations. It usually begins with an older boy "introducing" a new younger boy to sex, strangely with friendship-like gentleness, so as to maintain the relationship. The older boy promises (and delivers) protection. Often these "protection services" are motivated by genuine compassion and concern because the younger boy is in fact (away from the eyes of the counselors) being bullied.

 

15) Few orphans describe their first sex experience as rape. As within prison, boys can't rat on each other because of the consequences of what happens to a tattle-tale.  Counselors have so many charges that they lose their ability to be in-communication with each new boy. A new counselor may at first notice when a new the boy is dragging around an incomplete, perhaps from being bullied, but soon the counselor becomes overwhelmed with the number of interactions and can't tell the difference in a child's day-to-day countenance. Counselors, being typical, are themselves dragging around thousands of incompletes. Most counselors have one or more inaccuracies, omissions, or lies on their job application forms; in other words, integrity throughout the orphanage system is just a word. An orphan seldom experiences a truly happy joyous counselor. Happiness just isn't modeled for an orphan. Laughing yes, but it's not a joyous, happy, kind of laughing.

 

16) Boys have no choice other than to mirror the leadership-communication skills of the headmaster, counselors and all with whom they each relate (especially everyone's addiction to withholding certain thoughts).

 

17) Bedtime clearings (such as the Clearing Process for a Parent and a Young Person/Teen) are non-existent so children (and the staff) go to bed each night with dozens of unacknowledged good deeds and perpetrations; these withholds and deceits get in the way of comprehension when studying.


18) Most orphans have been shuffled from orphanage to orphanage, some to one or more foster homes/parents, as such they don't develop the strong attachments to people as do mom and pop reared children. When they leave one place they seldom think back, it's as though the staff and fellow orphans have vanished. Education/healthcare majors are not taught the subject of acknowledgment as a communication variable and so degreed orphanage counselors don't/can't teach orphans about acknowledgment.**  In fact, many orphans grow up with a warped sense of entitlement; because they missed out on the benefits of family life some come to believe the world owes them. Some never truly apply themselves because they believe the world (or a unknown rich relative) will eventually come to his/her senses and help/bequeath them. Of counselors, "They only  treated me nice because it was their job." The thought of giving Christmas/birthday cards or presents to counselors seldom enter an orphan's mind except as a prompted obligation. For many orphans, "thank you's" are programmed rote manners—holidays and celebrations are uncomfortable; generosity to others doesn't come naturally, giving/receiving is not experienced as an expression of love. Because no adult around them is in-integrity, no adult can see that they are not in communication with the child—all have become stuck doing their imitation of communication.

 

 * Due to the integrity of its staff, which is comparatively higher than that of typical families, orphanages provide the exact same street-smart conning abilities and skills learned by inmates from fellow prisoners.  It's totally possible to create orphanages that produce world-class leaders. 

** Very few orphans donate any significant amount, or their estate when they die, to their orphanages; few invite staff to weddings. It could be that orphans come to believe that they survived (succeeded) because of their own skills, not because of the help of others.

 

Lastly, I am so very grateful that my birth parents, and later my adoptees,  gave me up for adoption. I've seen how most "normal" family members treat each other; I can't imagine living amongst them. It accounts for why so many children from dysfunctional families run away. I believe an orphanage is often the best ethical responsible gift a parent can give a child—rather than submit him/her to more of the parent's abusive behaviors and karma.

 

Last edited 6/4/21

 

 

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Last edited 6/4/21