[hollywoodlisa]

Hi - we are considering adoption from Guatemala, any suggestions on agencies specialization in that country? Also, we would like to adopt a child with lighter skin color and less indian features, is that possible?

Thanks,
Lisa

[beachdreams]

If skin color is a concern then I would highly suggest you look at another country. Most Guatemalan children are of Mayan descent and thus have a darker complextion. Personally I can not imagine skin color being a deciding factor as there are for more important things to concern yourself with such as the health and care of the children. However, different strokes I guess.

[CarlaATX]

what beachdreams said.
and said FAR MORE nicely than I might have

[lmvsmom]

Perhaps a Guatemalan adoption might not be for you? Please be very careful when asking questions like this. It is usually seen as being very offensive.

Adoptive parents choose Guatemala for various reasons, not the least of which is the beauty of the children.

[heikkila]

There are some very reputable agencies working in Guatemala, but if you are wanting a child with a lighter skin tone and less Mayan features, then Guatemala might not be the right country for you to adopt from. JMO

Rebecca

[GabrielsDad]

Needing to ask a question like that should set off some alarms in your own mind that Guatemala may not be the right choice for you.

That being said, if you can realize skin tone doesn't really matter, the agency feedback sticky thread can give you the names of a lot of agencies and people that have experience with them.

[hollywoodlisa]

Thanks for everyone's reply. Please dont take offense to the question, we starting this process and feedback from people with experience is helpful, although your own personal opinion of whether or not we should be interested in the beauty of the child is not of interest to us, of course you are entitled to your opinions, and I respect that, however, we were asking for input about the children, not an opinion of whether or not we should be asking.

[beachdreams]

Before this turns ugly, let me remind you that we are all either already adoptive parents of a Guatemalan child or are in the process of being parents. That being said, you are certainly offended many on here by simply implying that one skin tone is preferred over another. To us, the health of our child and the care of our child seems far more important.

You are right that your preferences are not our business, however you made them ours to some degree when you posted your question.

You can not pick skin tone of your child just like you could not pick skin tone, eye color etc of a biological child. The only things you can pick is approximate age range and sex.

If skin color is more important to you, then again I suggest you seek an alternative country (i.e. Ukraine, Russia etc). It is also possible that international adoption is not for you.

I truly hope you find the best direction for you and your family.

[bekalynn]

A similar thread was done about this not too terribly long ago.
No offense, but you are kind of opening a can of worms here.
I have to agree with the other posters - If skin tone is that important to you, then you may want to look at another country other than Guatemala. No ethical agency will allow you to toss a child out soley based on skin color.

You asked if we could help you find agencies that would help you seek out light skinned children in Guatemala, so you are inviting these opinions, because you are on a Guatemalan adoption board.
Perhaps you should do more research on Guatemala. The majority of children available for adoption in Guatemala are Mayan, ergo Indian. This is not a feature you want. Therefore this country perhaps is not best suited for the needs you are wanted in creating your family.

[BrandyHagz]

Message from the Moderator Regarding This Reported Post: I realize that to many here, this line of questioning is offensive, but you have to understand, its also legitimate. I think it is vitally important that questions such as those asked by the original poster, be asked and answered prior to signing on the dotted line, accepting a referral and bringing the child home. Why, you might ask? Some of you may recall recent threads regarding disrupted Guatemalan adoptions…if asking this question keeps at least ONE disruption from taking place, then it ok with the Moderating Team.

Asking questions, even hard ones, are part of starting the process…keep in mind that folks that generally come here to ask questions have little to now information on the process and flaming them for asking questions they generally have (including the appearance questions), is not acceptable.

[GabrielsDad]

Originally Posted by beachdreams

Before this turns ugly, let me remind you that we are all either already adoptive parents of a Guatemalan child or are in the process of being parents. That being said, you are certainly offended many on here by simply implying that one skin tone is preferred over another. To us, the health of our child and the care of our child seems far more important.

You are right that your preferences are not our business, however you made them ours to some degree when you posted your question.

You can not pick skin tone of your child just like you could not pick skin tone, eye color etc of a biological child. The only things you can pick is approximate age range and sex.

If skin color is more important to you, then again I suggest you seek an alternative country (i.e. Ukraine, Russia etc). It is also possible that international adoption is not for you.

I truly hope you find the best direction for you and your family.

Well put ...

[begaines]

I totally agree with everyone else here. If you are wanting a child based on the color of the skin or so that they will look more like you. Maybe Guatemala shouldn't be your choice. However, I love Abby's dark skin actually I am jealous, I would love to have her skin and hair. To me there are no others that would compare to the beauty of these children. I love everything about my child.

[BrandyHagz]

Guys, this member has a legitimate question…there is no need to accuse anyone of “opening a can of worms” or anything else. Answer her question honestly based on your experience with the process, don’t flame her for asking a question that may or may not be a deal breaker for IA from Guatemala. Its really important that everyone understand that people don’t generally ask questions to offend you – they do it to gain knowledge…so please, cut out the public flogging.

[pmgor]

Most of the children in Guatemala will be of mayan descent and their real skin tone is not always apparent at birth or even later during the first year.

If you are searching for a caucasian looking child you might need to look at other countries or a domestic placement.

When we picked up our child at 4.5 months he had the same skin tone as mine:

[hollywoodlisa]

To everyone - WE NEVER ASKED FOR a recommended adoption agency that focuses on lighter skin children, nor did we ask for your opinion as to whether we should ask. We asked for suggestions of agencies who specialize in the area, not who specialize in lighter skin children, thats ridiculous, read my question. We simply wanted to know if these variances exist. You shouldnt be naive to think that people adopt from Russia because they want blond hair/blue eyes, who cares, its what they want. And yes when choosing a partner in life, many do make the decision of the looks to determine what their child will look like, you may not like it, but its true. Further, I have plenty of friends who went thru donor egg/donor sperm inferility treatments, and the hair color and eye color were of choice.