[Dianna]

Hi, we went to an adoption picnic and there weren't any kids there that met our limits, (but there were some great sibling groups of 4) so we just played and had fun. The kids were there for the food and games and not really paying attention to the other things. They were there with their foster families.

I saw a couple of older kids interviewed on TV about participating in an adoption party. They were teenagers and had been to many parties. They said it was very hard and difficult to go and not get chosen, but each one of them did get chosen in the end and were very happy with their new families. They said it was worth it because if they didn't go, they would not have met their parents who adopted them.

We also do not meet children before we are selected and there is usually a number of families before one is selected, and a second family is selected in case the first one does not work out. We were interviewed for our girls and had no problem just being ourselves because by then we understood that the more open we are, the better match they are able to make. In the end we were chosen, probably because we were not nervous, and the match wasn't a good one. I later found out that the worker chose us because we were willing to have an open situation with the birth family. They probably should have picked some other more valid criteria like personal style and family dymnamics.