Talk me out of adopting a child

That swearing is me - yeah sorry about that. I am outspoken and if I wasnt in my real career I wouldnt have a job prolly. So it comes over here. Sorry if I hurt feelings. I am really very blunt and didnt mean a "personal" offense. I use f**k every few words.

I gotta go out. So best of luck to the poster. But please please please in all seriousness dont condemn women who simply cant see a baby as a means to become more woman. It just gets me all SCRINCHY when I hear that a person must express more maternal feelings even in a virtual world. But Oryx - I dont even have a pet. I travel too much for one. Apologies. I honestly should just stay away from forums. Its just NOT my scene and I just seem to get Frizzled.

Hi Key...trying to peek in around the fighting.

Kid/Family RP is perfectly legit. A lot of people do it and enjoy it. I won't try to talk you out of it. But say two things.

1. Ask yourself how will it be fun, for you? Because Kid/Family RP here is just that..RP..and should be fun for everyone involved. If you are just having an "awww...isn't she cute...I just want to take her home" moment. Recognize it for what it is.

2. Always keep in mind that that cute little kid is really a fully grown adult playing pretend. You'll already know the person is pretending...but keep reminding yourself. The real typist might be nothing at all like their kid persona.

ok...3 things

Don't just jump in head first. Test how deep the pool is.

/me cautiously sticks her teenaged (in SL) head in the door.

I agree with a lot of points so far in this thread, especially Dakota's. I originally chose to pay a teen av primarily as something to be different. I had tried child avs a couple of times, but just never felt totally comfortable being fully in character. An older girl actually fits my style more, since being in character means, for the most part, I can generally "talk" more adult-like.

Originally, I just hung around teen hangouts and basically was a street kid in a roleplay manner, but I always at least had my own little plot somewhere so I could have a place to call "home" for changing clothes or just escaping drama (Ctrl-Shift-H has always been my most reliable friend, regardless of av choice).

Somewhere along the way, I started getting curious about the adoption process. Would I want parents? Could I live with them and their rules? How much in-character roleplay would they demand or tolerate? A lot of questions, even for myself. I hung around the adoption agency, just watching the dynamic between the "kids" and prospective "parents". Talked to many kids that had been adopted to get their stories, etc.

I finally jumped in and put up a panel at the agency. I read the notecards in the parents' panels very carefully, even reading between the lines. Out of nearly 100 parents panels there, I only clicked on maybe 6 that I liked. Accordingly, when I made out my notecard for my panel, I was very exact in what I would or would not expect, even putting in about three or four paragraphs of my character's "backstory" to give the parents a feel for what they might expect from me in-character.

I had a match within 12 hours. We went on trial and, to make a long story short, they are my parents to this day. Admittedly, all of this has happened within the last month or so, but through selective choosing, I found some parents that really wanted to be parents, and they found someone that really wanted to be a child (and stay that way, not turning into an adult, a dragon, whatever).

Our dynamic is that while family time is fun and important, we realize that each others' RL demands, or simply SL desires, dictate that we don't spend every oniine moment together. As a matter of fact, I just recently started a job as a counselor at the same adoption agency where they found me and they're super supportive of my efforts.

From my people-watching at the adoption agency, I will say that I have met a lot child avs that primarily have figured out that making themselves short, putting on some freebie items that look like kids clothes and borrowing 1L$ to put up a panel means that they'll have free room, board and allowances if they can sweet-talk the right set of parents into adopting them and keeping them long enough. Not meaning to be cruel, and not trying to step on my own employer's toes, but that is just a fact of SL life.

There are some very dedicated child avs out there, many of which pay their own way (myself, Mari, Dakota, Toy, Immy... the list goes on) and would make a great long-term and fun friend for a family setting. But, as with anything else in RL and SL, "buyer" beware. By the way, this goes both ways. I've heard my share of horror stories from dedicated child avs about some of the parents that have adopted them.

HA!!!! No kidding! LOVE IT! XD

Actually... That's gonna be my new answer to "How do I make money here?" and "How do I get a home?" =^-^=

Gravy on fries? Is this a bad English food receipe? I'm from America... I've never heard of gravy on fries, but I've had other bad English food, trust me.

You have never heard of gravy on fries?

That's my favorite way to eat them. Ketchup is the devil's condiment; that's why it's red!

Must be a southern thing, like chicken fried steak.

Our concept of gravy is probably different from yours . . .

Pep (Curry sauce and chips - aka fries - is even better)

No, I've never heard of them. And you should see the look of my face. I'm in total shock. I don't use ketchup either. I like my fries with salt.

We don't use much gravy in California, that's why I never liked English food. It's like mushed up stuff with gravy on it, and it's awful!

ooh chips 'n' gravy ... mmmm ... damn I'm hungry for junk food now, just before I have to cook something proper and nutritious for the not-so-little 'uns.

@ Avawyn - yes, English food is often not very good - the trouble is we just can't get hold of cheese in a spray can over here

This is not off topic, is it?

Good god! Now you need to talk me out of going to get something to eat!

Okay, NOW I'm frigg'n hungry!!! (>_<

I'm Californian... But, there's this place around where I live that does plates like that... Gotta love it! XD

Though... Gotta love places that serve good California red sauce! =^-^=

Now I'm even more hungry. (T_T)

/me feels sorry for Avawyn who apparently has never had the satisfaction of dining on sausage and mash with onion gravy.

Pep (Prefer Spago's rice pudding pizzas do you?)

White gravy! YAY!!!! \(^o^)/

When I was in Australia I had the chance to have a cheese and bacon - beef schnitzel. That was heaven on a plate, I tell ya'! XD

What is the white stuff Yosef?

Pep (Gravy is dark brown in England)

How to know what to eat:
If you can drive up to it, it's not good for you.

No-one's gonna do that round here.

Pep (And if you are REALLY hungry pop over to the Undying Thread - you can be guaranteed all-day breakfast and pie over there)

... And your tuna steak is served well done. (>_<

I thought Schnitzel came from Austria?

Pep (an easy mistake to make . . .)

EVERYTHING is well done!

Pep (We are not savages who eat things raw)

It did... You should see what the Aussies make of it. (^_^)

Are you sure it wasn't kangaroo steak?

Pep (It jumps off the fork into your mouth)

With good taste like that I am surprised you are a Spinster!

Pep (You can't microwave real chips!)

That was an option. For another day. Along with Vegemite on toast.... GAAAAAAAAAAH!!! SHUT UP ABOUT FOOD!!!! I'M HUNGRY!! (T_T)