The Children Who Wait       Marsha Traugot 

‘The Children Who Wait’ is an essay written by an American writer Marsha Traugot. The author in this essay explains a new trend in adoption. According to her, presently varieties of families have opened their homes to children who have been labeled unadoptable. She explains the causes that had led to this kind of situation.
The essay begins with a description of handicapped girl who is expecting ideal adoptive family for her. The girl is 5 and half years old having a light brown complexion. She is the victim of fetal alcohol syndrome. The writer explains that the social worker of this girl Tammy is looking for a one or two parent, black or biracial family with old children. She further explains that, twenty years ago, there was a different situation. During that time only healthy white babies were adopted by white families. Non-white children and handicapped babies were not adoptable. One-parent adoptions were not in practice. Further only infants were permitted for the adoption. Social workers used to look for middle class, home-owning two parents, one-career families for the children in their care.
According to the writer, there are various reasons that have brought about the changes in the given situation. One of them is the civil rights movement. It has raised the standard of justice and humanity. It also encouraged liberal whites to adopt non white babies for the sake of racial integration. In addition to it, the women’s movement, availability of birth control, legalized abortion, change of attitude towards sex and marriage etc. caused the scarcity of white babies. Besides, unwed mothers and teenagers began to look after their children. Because of these reasons, the attention has been drawn to the children who have been waiting for the adoption.
Besides these reasons, economic reality and the miserable condition of these orphans in the institution compelled the social workers and government authorities to change their rules and regulations for the adoptions.
This time the social workers have concentrated on the buzzword-matching. According to it, selection of the adoptive family depends upon the nature of the baby to be adopted. For instance, a 15-year old boy having the aggressive background needs the family that has a strong male to control as well to look after the boy. The social worker has to overlook the barriers for the better selection. In order to find out the right family, a social worker launches the search individually and through different agencies even to the extent of employing media blitzes.
Important Questions from The Children Who Wait by Marsha Traugot
Short Answer Questions
1. Whom does Marsha Traugot refer to as the children who wait? [2057] 2. Why was it difficult for the handicapped and the black children to find Foster family? [2060]


3. According to Traugot, what changes are transforming American adoption scene? What factors are responsible for the changes? [2060] 4. What kinds of parents were considered suitable for adopting children? What kinds of children were considered ‘Unadoptable’? [2062] 5. How do adoption agencies find the potential parents? [2064] 6. What had happened to the handicapped children in the past? [2065]
Glossary: [handicapped: not to be able to use a part of a body or mind, syndrome: a combination of physical problems that often goes in a particular illness, infants: babies, blitzes: a lot of activities to achieve something in a short period of time]