A few weeks ago I read the following on the CNN website:

China is imposing new restrictions on foreign adoptions, barring applicants who are unmarried, obese, over 50 or who take antidepressants, according to U.S. adoption agencies.

Basically, the Chinese are saying that come May 1st all old maids, fat asses, Geritol cases and crazy people will not be able to adopt a Chinese kid. I’m surprised they didn’t try to weed out the homosexuals while they were at it. Although, maybe they grouped them in with the unmarried crowd so as not to seem like bigots. They also state that if you have a “severe facial deformity”, you need not apply. So once again, Michael Bolton gets the short end of the stick……I kid.

Obviously, if I read this weeks ago and it’s still bothering me, I must have issues with it. I’m not obese nor am I over 50. However, I am unmarried and although I fought it for a long time, I did decide to go the medicinal route when it came to the storm clouds in my head. Fact is, though, I don’t even want a Chinese kid. I mean, I have nothing against Chinese babies. They’re cute and cuddly and all, but orphans come a dime a dozen in the states. So why fly all the way over to China to get one? Madonna, Angelina Jolie…why do you have to fly half way around the world to get a kid who needs a loving home? Malawi, Ethiopia. You want a black kid? We got plenty! I guess it’s more exotic to get kids from other countries. “Cooler” if you will. Adopting American kids is so last year.

Anyway, I digress. My overall point was that the Chinese have it all wrong. Unmarried people have more time to spend with their kids because they aren’t spending all that time arguing with their spouse. Having an obese parent means you never have to worry about going hungry. People are living longer these days. Over 50 shouldn’t be a negative. They bring wisdom to the table. And let’s face it, people who are on anti-depressants (as long as they aren’t completely suicidal) are probably more stable than people who aren’t. There are different forms of anti-depressants. There are the kind that are prescribed by doctors — Zoloft, Wellbutrin, Cymbalta, yada yada yada, and there are the kinds you can pick up at any liquor store or street corner or gambling hall. Alcoholics drink to get over whatever is bringing them down. Addicts shoot up to ward off the demons. Gamblers gamble to forget about the detritus that is their lives. Despite all of that, addicts are not excluded from the process. Lucky them.

At the end of the article, the Chinese suggest that if you fall into the reject list, you may want to consider adopting a Vietnamese kid. It’s almost as if they are saying, “We wouldn’t take you, but THEY would accept anybody.” It’s like walking into some snooty store looking for a pair of jeans and they scoff at you and suggest K Mart or perhaps the Salvation Army. I’m sure the Vietnamese don’t care for their kids being referred to like some kind of bargain bin item.

Why does this bother me so much? Maybe it’s because they excluded all the wrong people. Age, weight and marital status have nothing to do with the fact of whether or not you can raise a child in a loving, happy environment. And depression and anxiety are a part of everyday life. Nearly all people encounter it, although to different extremes. But it isn’t the suffering that should be of importance. It is how one deals with the suffering. I’d much rather hand a newborn to someone who picks up a prescription bottle everyday than to someone who stares down a wine bottle every night.