Last Friday, for some strange reason I ended up watching Channel4’s Adopt me, I am a teenager. I can’t just get it out of my head. On the website it says:
“Justine and Lakeisha are two teenagers desperate to be adopted. They live in America, where a radical approach to adoption has been pioneered. In an attempt to find a new home they’ll be marketed American-style at adoption parties and on TV shows. This film follows their search to find a mum and dad, but unfortunately things don’t always go according to plan.”
I just found it so sad to watch. At the beginning it seemed Justine had so many more chances than Lakeisha, as she has been living in her best friend’s home for over two years and has an appealing personality – but then in the end, Lakeisha has found some nice parents, lefty liberal black political activists, whileas Justine has run away and is listed missing.
The other point the programme made, is that most teenagers in care want to be adopted , that they are aware that many foster kids in the US end up homeless on the streets when they are 18, without proper job, education or health care.
How happy we can be to have parents who love us and bear with all of our mistakes patiently. And so often we just take it for granted that we have parents who care and want the best for us, and who would give up everything to help us.