Top 10...so far

Here I am sealing the driveway this weekend, keeping busy so that we don't have to think about how much we want it to be time to pack our bags for Vietnam. I thought it might be interesting to post the top 5 misconceptions we've heard from people about adoption so far...make that the top 10, there were too many to limit it to 5. These comments all come from well-meaning people that just don't know about adoption. We were warned about many of these in our training workshops but thought "who would say that?" (esp in regards to #2). Maybe one of these things was said by you?? If so, don't feel bad :-)

10. Will you be able to name the baby whatever you want? [yes]
9. Will the baby be an American citizen? [yes]
8. Since the baby will speak Vietnamese, there may be some difficulty adjusting in school until he/she learns English. [ummm, babies speak baby talk]
7. Asian babies are cuter than other babies, so your baby is sure to be cute. [no]
6. Since you're adopting, should we even have a baby shower? [ummm, YES]
5. Asians are genetically smarter than other races, so you're sure to get a smart baby. [no]
4. You're only adopting ONE child? There are so many children in the world that need a home--you should have adopted at least TWO. [why don't YOU adopt a baby? Its not like buying a couple watermelons at the grocery store.]
3. You're adopting from VIETNAM?? You should have gone for country X instead, they are more needy. [there are children needing parents in every country of the world]
2. Now that you're adopting, you're sure to get pregnant. [can't see how adoption raises the probability of getting pregnant]
1. Since you're adopting, we should have the baby shower AFTER you bring the baby home so that we can all meet him/her. [hmmm, no baby gear before the baby comes and a bunch of people in the house when the baby is trying to adjust to life in America--great idea!]