Once upon a Time...

[Kayano]

Have you seen the tv show?

Bit lame that they made the evil queen the little boys adoptive mother, and his real mother swoops into town to the rescue as soon as the kid asks.

I just get such a horrible 'your biological mother always has your best interests at heart while your adoptive mother is EVIL.'

I still watch it every week but maybe younger viewers might get the wrong idea about birth parent whenever they fall out with their adoptive ones?

Anyone else seen it or got any thoughts?

It's been on the US for a while now, and the adoptive parents on the american forum are giving it great reviews. Apparently it's brilliant. I haven't watched it at all, so I can't comment. I worked out it was based on Snow White, and then I stopped being interested tbh

It's certainly a wierd weird plot. But I think its got some base in magic? Or at least people are cursed and in two different worlds and so on? In which case, I assume most of the young viewers won't take it seriously, because it's so obviously not got any basis in real life

I do get that it might make for uncomfortable watching for some, but I would just take it as shown - the wicked queen is evil, and Emma is good. I don't think the program makers are using the evil queen to make a point about adoptive mothers in general. I hope not anyway

There is also a lot odd in the adoption if you watch carefully. Emma didn't/doesn't want to be a mother, she only hangs around because she knows the evil Queen is lying about loving Henry.
Also give the writers I would not expect anything to be as straight forward as you might think. Cinderella has already been twisted, and I know Red Riding Hood is too.

But the wicked queen in our world is an adoptive parent

Emma is just a normal person in our word really, had a kid, gave him up for adoption and then. He finds her she goes running to rescue him and fights for him.

I just don't like that part of it. Did they HAVE to make her an adoptive mother who is so cold and is clearly portrayed as not loving him as much as his birth mother?

The whole sub plot made me why???

Are you saying that all adoptive parents love their kids wonderfully?

Especially ones who from the hints I've seen paid someone to get the a baby, and probably didn't go through the normal channels?

Personally I often wonder about some celebratary adoptions. It is set in the US, and I don't think the adoptive mother went through months/years of probes by SWs before adopting.

Even in the UK some adoptions do fail. Just as some step-mothers are awful. I'd give it a chance, as it doesn't seem to be just peddling stereotypes.

(And someone had to be the bady, and Emma had to be drawn to the town somehow.)

Mostly step mothers or adoptive mothers are the bad guys because most people/children are freaked out by the idea that a birth mother could be evil toward their children.

Adoptive children deal with enough crap from society at large mummytime (oh where is your "real" mummy, didn't she want you etc) without adding lazy stereotypes to the mix if it can be avoided.

"Especially ones who from the hints I've seen paid someone to get the a baby, and probably didn't go through the normal channels?" I have no idea what you are talking about - you need to be clearer.

I don't know what you wonder about celebrity adoptions but I can put you in touch with the (very reputable) agency who handled Angelina Jolies adoptions if you feel the need to be nosy reassure yourself.

Even in the US people are expected to have home studies done, no they don't take as long as the UK (lets face where in the world does it? ) and on occasion they fall below the standard I would expect but I think this is probably still the exception rather than the rule.

I'd also like to point out mummytime that adoptive children made available for adoption for a reason and not a reason linked to the adoptive parents inability to parent but the birth parents. I don't know the the statistics but I'd be prepared to bet that the number of adoptions which disrupt for reasons other than issues caused by the childs life pre-adoption are pretty small.

Sorry to sound cross but I am slightly grumpy as so many adoptive parents are dealing for life with the problems caused by birth parents and its virtually never the other way around. I don't claim adoptive parents are any better than other competent parents but I do expect any parent with empathy to accept there are additional challenges to adoptive parenting and support the idea that scapegoating adoptive parents for entertainment isn't helpful.

In the programme a conversation indicated that Rumplestilskin "obtained" Henry for the Mayor, just as he was trying to buy Cinderella's baby (as well as being bribed by the babies father's Dad). Even my kids think it is freaky that he has such an interest in babies.

In Children's stories, you always get rid of the parents. Normally killing them off. Emma isn't a good Mother image, she's just feeling guilty. If she was a good Mother figure she would have to take more care of Henry, and it's pretty crucial that he gets away with running free. ( For plot reasons.)

Also I agree normal adoptive parents are doing a great job, I am not always convinced by celebratary adopters.

Also I don't know anyone making the crass comments you quote. But I don't doubt some do, just as my skinny daughter is called fat.

I agree mummytime. Anyone famous shouldnt be allowed to adopt. And if they become famous AFTER they have adopted, they should be made to give the child back.

Or they shpuld be made to convince us,all the memebers of the general public, that their motives are correct. According to our individual standards of right and wrong.

Perhaps their home study and all the documenst on the child should be made public. The tabloids could print it and we could all vote. Yes,i like that idea

Kristina that was ridiculous. I mean it is suspicious when a Celeb (usually US) flies into a country and adopts a child, without having seemingly having gone through the months of checks that a normal person has to.

"without having seemingly having gone through the months of checks that a normal person has to." how on earth would you know that? Do you expect them to issue a press release when they start the process so everyone can gawp?

Maybe just adopt discretely, and even from their own country. Some do. Some don't.

why should they do it discretely - or even how (in the case of certain celebrities as they are all but stalked by paps)? Given that you are already moaning how they don't do the correct preparation without any knowledge of what they have done, surely doing it "discretely" will raise even more questions about what they dis to get the child if they just turn up at the airport with one?

"even from their own country" - why? Do you think children from the developed world are more deserving of families than those from less developed countries.

I have my own opinions on certain adoptions and by no means do I feel that all celebrity adoptions are the perfect template. However there is a lot of guff spouted by the press with very little basis in fact.

I read some of the press coverage of Angelina Jolies adoption of one of her children with much amusement as it went on about how terrible it was that she'd "chosen" a cute child. Particularly as I knew that the child had been chosen for her a ("referral") and she had accepted the referral as offered as is normal for any parent in that situation; also I would defy anyone to find a 3 year old who isn't cut and Asian boys over 18 months are some of the most difficult children to place.

I assume you adopted your child discretely from your home country as you seem to have such strong opinions about it?