"Rehome" your kids to a child molester, receive an award

[Srilaura]

Arkansas state Rep Justin Harris' story will be on 20/20 this Friday, October 23.

[Peas n carrots]

Arkansas state Rep Justin Harris' story will be on 20/20 this Friday, October 23.

Thank you I'll make sure to watch. There needs to be more high profile work done on the rehoming of adoptees.

[DomWackTroll]

Arkansas state Rep Justin Harris' story will be on 20/20 this Friday, October 23.

So glad that a mainstream, national media outlet has decided to cover this!

[artdecades]

So I just saw a bit on World News Tonight or whatever its called with David Muir and they just talked about rehoming their kids and it was a very fluffy piece. There was no mention of giving their kids to a rapist or the fact that they thought the children were possessed by demons. I was shocked at how this was treated. They even pointed out at the end of the segment that the children are happy in their new home. they totally skipped the second step of them going to a pedophile.

 

I hope that 20/20 will actually cover the issue because if someone only just saw that, they would think this was a couple who did something somewhat controversial and then nothing happened and everything is fine.

[divadivine]

So I just saw a bit on World News Tonight or whatever its called with David Muir and they just talked about rehoming their kids and it was a very fluffy piece. There was no mention of giving their kids to a rapist or the fact that they thought the children were possessed by demons. I was shocked at how this was treated. They even pointed out at the end of the segment that the children are happy in their new home. they totally skipped the second step of them going to a pedophile.

 

I hope that 20/20 will actually cover the issue because if someone only just saw that, they would think this was a couple who did something somewhat controversial and then nothing happened and everything is fine.

20/20 is not holding back at all. 

I think Mr. Harris might be really far back in the closet. In denial. 

[apandaaries]

I hope they expose everything.  This is such a horrible story featuring spectacularly horrendous adult humans.

This story truly makes me long for a vengeful god.  Harris shows absolutely no regret or remorse for the pain he caused these girls to endure.  I really want him and his wife to understand what they made those girls go through, and for laws to be enacted to protect other adopted children.  They have no long-term defense system.  Children, especially the marginalized ones, need and deserve protection. 

[artdecades]

I am in the middle of watching and have some stray thoughts I want to say before I forget.

1.  Harris's are playing the Christian persecution card. They said that DHS did not want them to adopt just because they were Christians. Their evidence is that they were told "prayer wouldn't be enough" to treat them. This isn't Christian persecution, this is common sense. These children needed therapy. The Christian foster parents realized this.

2. IIRC, the Harris's previously have claimed that the girls were so crazy and violent that they all slept in one room. Here, they say that before the children even entered the house they all moved into one room as a precaution. This nasty woman says that she has to protect her biological children "first" above her adopted ones. Its quite obvious from the beginning that they never viewed these children as their own.

3. Justin Harris has a very effeminate voice. When I am not looking at the TV and I hear him talk I keep thinking its his wife.

[artdecades]

Ok I finished and I am not happy with their treatment of the Harrises. They didn't treat them with kid gloves, but like hapless fools who just didn't understand what was happening. Every time they referred to them as "well intentioned" or "god fearing" or whatever I cringed. They barely covered the fact that they gave away their children to a rapist.

[Aunt Bee]

After watching 20/20, I don't believe they knew the guy was a rapist. But it does seem like there was much more to the story about their time with the girls. Why were the girls a problem with them, yet have adjusted well in the new home? "Could it be SATAN?" Or their way of raising these girls. 

 

[Rainytown]

We also watched 20/20 last night. Justin Harris and his wife deserve whatever shitstorm will rain down on them as a result of the national exposure. Even more, it is hard to imagine how Elizabeth Vargas could interview them with a straight face. And OH, color me shocked that ABC News didn't see fit to mention that they're friends with the Duggars, aren't they?

Mrs. Harris seems to have the same problem as J-Chelle Duggar: Desperately tries to "cry", but there's no tears. Then again, her husband cried enough for both of them, didn't he? I'll bet he has no nose hairs left.

I was happy to hear that the three girls have been adopted by other families and are doing well.

 

[Howl]

After watching this, I decided that the Harris' attorney decided that certain topics were off limits, and one of those off-limits topics was physical discipline.  The girls did well with their final adoptive family, they did well with their foster family, but the Harris family was a disaster and I suspect the old "instant obedience, break the will" evil was at work.   I'm also starting to suspect that a lot of the reactive attachment disorder going on in these types of families is CAUSED by an abusive discipline regimen, and not the child's previous trauma.  In other words, the adoptive parents ARE the trauma.  

The Harrises also never took responsibility, never, for forcing the adoption against much well considered advice from knowledgeable people, and continued to trot out the Christian persecution crap, even though the advice was correct, and the Harrises failed miserably, with disastrous results for the girls.  

Also, having the three boys sleep in the master bedroom is just beyond weird -- red flag, anyone? 

It was priceless watching the Harrises being told that the girls were doing extremely well with their new adoptive family.  Ms. Harris is stone cold; Mr. Harris is a gusher.   

The good news?  The Harrises will not be adopting any more children. 

[2xx1xy1JD]

I actually mentioned this stuff the other day to a social worker here who works in the adoption field.

She is thoroughly appalled by "rehoming", and by the utter lack of adequate safeguards for adopted children in the United States in general.  She explained how thorough the home studies need to be here, how she'll have to go over scenarios with families or tell them "no, you can't handle this child", and how they have to make sure that everyone really understands attachment issues, trauma, cultural adjustment, etc.

While nobody really love bureaucracy, she said that most families were grateful for the higher standards.  They wanted to be able to say, "hey, I know for a fact that my child was a genuine orphan and wasn't trafficked".  They wanted other countries to know that they could trust Canadian authorities to do their job properly.  They didn't want to be tainted by the horror stories.

[Toothfairy]

Saw the comment section on abc news. Can't believe the excuses defending his actions.  Regardless this asshole treated these kids like shit ad a political move.