The Love Value of Food - page 3

Part 3: A Community Response

The study and the press report targeting adoptive parents have been the main topic of conversation on a number of adoption message boards, forums, and email lists.

However, while we discuss the study, debate it, rage about it, or lament it in private, a coordinated effort on the part of academic researchers and adoption advocates is being proposed in the adoption community.

This research has been conducted by a private (and prestigious) institution and published in an equally prestigious journal, giving it a patina of authority and legitimacy that could best be countered by equally respected and credible researchers who care about adoption and have an intimate knowledge of adoptive family dynamics.

More of this Feature • Part 1: Press, Study Slam Adoptive Parents • Part 2: S. African Data?

A response directed to the journal which published the study, detailing whatever weaknesses and flaws are found, is one possible answer, and I'm sure there are others.
The research has elicited a unanimous thumbs-down from members of all segments of the adoption community:

"The average U.S. household in the study spent $4300/year on food (based on data from 1968 to 1985), with the average non-biomom household spending $4100/year. Yep, sounds like deliberate deprivation of the non-biological offspring to me." -- Adoptive Mom-to-be

"... BS is still BS, even if it has a PhD after it." -- First Mom

"The title of the study is 'How Hungry is the Selfish Gene?'. To call a study about food expenditures by a title like this is just sheer arrogance and grandstanding." --Adoptive Mom-to-be

"5 sons, 2 step sons, 1 adopted daughter, me, hubby = 10 people with 10 different eating habits, & about a million 'he likes, he doesn'ts'. When they are all together, kitchen looks like haul from supermarket robbery! Add to the mix a variety of medically involved foster children who all seem to have an eating disorder & I can honestly say that I, at times, have bought enough food to feed my neighborhood. I don't recall anyone from this study calling me with any survey questions, tho'. Seems like this study is a bit inaccurate." --Adoptive/Step/Foster/Bio Mom

"I find that just hilarious. If you take a look at my wedding pics you can see that my folks bio kid is the skinniest of the three of us." --Adoptee

"Anything to pick on adoption is what I say these studies are." --Birthmom

< < Page 1, 2, 3

Adoption Profiles

Brent & Stephanie We have been blessed with two wonderful children through adoption and two great experiences with birthmothers. We are praying for a third. [more] other adoption profiles | add your profile A service of Adoption Profiles, LLC