[geekster]

beachdreams is spot on!!! Well said!!!

[pmgor]

This is what his coloring is like now. At least 3 times as dark as any of us. If any agency tells you they can give you a referral for a "lighter" skinned child, you might be in for a huge dissapointment.

[JoTed]

Lisa:

When we signed with our agency, they had a form that we had to fill out with one of their representatives that explained to us that 99% of the children from Guatemala are of Indian (Mayan) decent or Mayan/Spanish decent. The form explain that most have dark skin and even if they appear lighter in pictures, their skin may darken as they grow up. We had to sign off that we understood this. I think our agency does this as a precaution so people are fully aware of what being of Guatemalan decent means before they get too far in the process. Our agency also let us know that it would not be looked upon well if a child was not accepted due to skin color. That is just my experience. I have not heard anything contrary from other agencies. I hope this helps

[JoTed]

Maria, that picture is adorable! Thanks for posting!

[becky716]

I think Beachdreams and Bekalynn are right on. I agree with both of them 100% and everyone else on this board that feels the same way.

I would highly suggest you not adopt from Guatemala, if skin tone is of any importance to you. I would also highly recommend that if you do adopt from any country or domestically, that you not allow your child to go out in the sun. This may cause their skin tone to change, and I wouldn't want you to become disappointed.
Obviously, you have offended MANY of us that are in the process of adopting from Guatemala or have adopted from there. I'm sorry, it's just the way it is.
I hope you find whatever you are looking for!
And moderators, as long as there are people on here asking questions, there will be those of us that are going to speak our minds. Sorry!

[bekalynn]

Originally Posted by hollywoodlisa

Also, we would like to adopt a child with lighter skin color and less indian features, is that possible?

Thanks,
Lisa

You need to ask yourself several questions here.

Babies in Guatemala are often referred at several days/weeks old, and we all know how much babies change, and quick!

Your infant referred can be fair even. Your 4 week update pictures can show a much darker child. How would you address your feelings on this? And as they grow, they can "darken" up. Again, how would you feel about this, this child you adopted, who did not meet your initial wants.
Indian features are prevalant in Guatemalan children because of the rich Mayan culture that still exists in this country. This may not be noticable as an infant or even a young child. As they grow - again - you need to address this questions.

No, it is not wrong for you to want a child to 'fit' a certain description, as you would want your partner... but this is international adoption in a multicultural fashion here, and you also need to address that - welcoming the culture.

Just make sure you ask and honestly answer the necessary questions to yourself before you bring any child with a multicultural background into your home. That is something we ALL do.

[BrandyHagz]

All right, enough...Holy Cow...Folks, this is a legitimate question - offended or not...it DOES NOT afford you the right to publicly attack someone for asking it.

In the future, if you can't follow the Terms of Service, please do not post.


Lisa,

I am sorry but I have to close this thread at this time. I think at least two folks answered your question, so I hope you got the information you needed.

Again, I'm sorry its come to this.

[BrandyHagz]

I was PM'd and asked if I could add this information to this thread - so it would show up for archives, so I agreed.

Let me impress that NO AGENCY can provide you with a lighter skin child nor can they even tell you about the heritage of the birthfather. What if the birthfather is Mayan and the baby is light complected at birth? It is VERY common that a child appears lighter at birth and often by 6 months of so they are much darker. You will never know the heritage of a birthfather from Guatemala.

US law mandates that a child is only an orphan if there is no known father. That is why you will NOT know if the child is of Mayan decent. You can only adopt from Guatemala if a child is orphaned.

I hate to bring up this story again, but you should probably hear it. My agency once refered a child to a family that requested a light complection ed newborn. When the child was escorted home at approx 6 months of age she was much darker and the family REFUSED to take her. They were her legal parents and wouldn't touch her, take her and walked away right there in the airport. My agency director had to take the child home, not knowing what to do. Luckily there was a family that longed to adopt but couldn't afford another one and it worked out. The first adoptive family signed away their right quickly.

I tell you this again to impress that it is impossible to provide you with a light complected child if you are seeking an infant. They may be light complected as an infant, but they will likely have a darker complexion as they age. Also, the children often look lighter complected in pictures and when you see them in person their brown complexions radiate.

The above scenario is just ONE of the reasons why this question is not only legitimate, but also vitally important to ANYONE considering adoption...