[Mamarama]

Becky, you really bring up an excellent point.

I'm sure this isn't the case with your friends AddisonsMommy, but sitting my chair -- I do see the unfortunate trend with US families for the quest for the perfect child, which in my opinion commoditizes the child.

I have seen a family have "medical issues" with a child whose ears seemed to be growing so they were going to stick out "and would need corrective cosmetic surgery."

I have had seen families develop concerns over certain physical features that, as the child developed, just didn't seen to fit that families idea of attractiveness.

But this is still a small percentage and for the most part we see the very best in people. I have had two families enthusiastically commit to adopt HIV + babies before it was known if the baby would or would not actually be HIV positive.

Children do seem to always go where they are meant to be, and a child with a newly discovered SERIOUS medical condition -- a condition that could alter their potential future for good health in some way -- might be meant to be with a family other than the originally referred family. That's not to say the first family isn't a wonderful family - just for a different child.