Recently, there have been a lot of reality shows, documentaries and mini-series to focus on the adoption journey, and the newest series “The Baby Wait” will focus on the time after placement.
According to a Huffington Post article, “The Baby Wait” will follow both the birth parents and adoptive parents as they create an open adoption relationship. The show’s first episode will feature Genavieve, an 18-year-old birth mother in Connecticut who placed her daughter, Madison, with Mark and Paul, a Manhattan couple. According to the article, Genavieve had 30 days to change her mind about the placement and had difficult moments caught on camera, but in the end made the decision to go ahead with the adoption. Genavieve, Madison, Paul and Mark have continued their open adoption relationship, and she will be in attendance at Madison’s first birthday party according to the article.
Tony DiSanto, a producer for the show, said in the article that he hopes the show will shed more light on the realities of open adoption.
“In the case of open adoption, I think people might intellectually understand, but this show sheds light on the emotional and experiential level,” DiSanto said in the article.
Many Adoption STAR clients watch these reality shows, and recently we spoke with an adoptive mom, Melissa, about the trend of reality shows focusing on adoption.
Melissa hopes that when producers in Hollywood are creating these shows that they are thinking about the impact the show will have on viewers, and not just ratings.
“As an adoptive parent, I would like think if they’re going to do these shows, they’ll be sensitive to everyone involved and not just (try) to be entertaining,” Melissa said. “I feel you can’t possibly watch these shows without feeling this is about love.”
One reality show that received a lot of attention over the summer was “I’m Having Their Baby” which aired on the Oxygen Network. Melissa watched that show and said that while many shows “pick out of the norm situations for ratings”, “I’m Having Their Baby” did a good job of grounding the show in reality.
While many of these reality shows may be emotional to watch, Melissa does believe that they are beneficial to the public as many can educate the public about the realities of the adoption journey.
“I think for people who don’t know much about adoption, it’s educating them in realistic ways,” Melissa said. “Many of the shows I’ve seen, the placement falls through; in some ways that may scare a prospective couple, but that’s part of the process. Adoption is tough, it’s amazing, it’s hard and that’s what (some) of these shows really show. I think it’s a fair picture.”
“The Baby Wait” will air on the Logo Network beginning Tuesday, October 30. If you are going to watch this show or have watched any adoption-focused reality show and would like to share your thoughts, please email [email protected].
To read the full Huffington Post article, please click here.