Adopted From Asia—

Newtown Couple Reaches Around The World To Embrace Their Children

By Jan Howard

One of Newtown’s newest and smallest residents arrived here May 21 following a long flight from Vietnam.

Emily Joy Ty was born in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 20, 1999, and was adopted from the Cau Giay Orphanage there on May 11.

Now nine months old, she is the enchanting, much loved daughter of Roger and Nancy Sprung of Newtown. Mr and Mrs Sprung previously adopted a daughter, 4½-year-old Jennie, whom Mrs Sprung brought home from China when she was a little over a year old.

“I always wanted to adopt. It was always my first choice,” Mrs Sprung said.

She said she liked the idea of a foreign adoption because it was “very unlikely” a domestic adoption would happen because of their ages. Mrs Sprung, a former pet sitter and now full-time mom, is 42. Mr Sprung, a well-known folk singer and musician in bluegrass circles and a world class banjo player, will be 70 next month.

Different countries have different requirements, Mrs Sprung said. “In Asia they like it if you’re older.” While these countries may have an upper age restriction, they are willing to work with older prospective adoptive parents. “People who are older can adopt. Our agency was willing to work with us.

“Vietnam said there was no problem for a healthy infant,” she said, while China had preferred they adopt a toddler rather than an infant.

 “You have to travel to adopt in both China and Vietnam,” Mrs Sprung said.

Mrs Sprung arrived in Vietnam on May 8, while Mr Sprung remained in Newtown to care for Jennie and the family pets. She picked Emily up at the orphanage on May 11. The adoption ceremony was held that day in a Department of Labor conference room.

“It’s called a Giving and Receiving ceremony,” she said. “You sign the papers, and they pronounce you mother and father.” All potential barriers to the adoption were broken with the words, “And you are now her mother.”

Mrs Sprung was away from home for two weeks. “It was a very hard trip for me,” she said. “Their culture is so very different, and it was hard to be away from Jennie.”

The final paperwork was completed at the American Consulate, and then she and Emily were winging their way back home.

“I’ve never been anywhere, except now to China and Vietnam,” Mrs Sprung said.

She brought back with them hand-made Vietnamese dolls, which Jennie gave out as gifts to classmates to celebrate her sister’s arrival.

The adoption process went very quickly with no problems, Mr and Mrs Sprung said. Their paperwork was submitted in January by their agency, Thursday’s Child Inc, located in Bloomfield. “They’re very wonderful,” Mrs Sprung said.

A referral was received ten days later. However, they had to wait three and a half months before traveling to Vietnam.

The birth mother can change her mind about the adoption up to the time of the Giving and Receiving ceremony, Mrs Sprung said. “It rarely happens. By Vietnamese law the mother, if known, must attend the ceremony. Emily’s birth mother was not known.”

The cost for a foreign adoption can range between $12,000 and $20,000, according to Mr and Mrs Sprung. “Ours was close to $20,000 with travel,” she said.

The adoption process is very thorough in Connecticut, Mrs Sprung said. “You must show documentation that you can support the child.”

Application must be through a licensed adoption agency. In addition to proving their financial status, prospective parents are required to have physicals, be fingerprinted, undergo a home study, and provide reference letters. The agency then writes up a biography.

Mr Sprung, who says he is  “semi retired,” has been a resident of Newtown for 31 years. He has a grown daughter, Robin, from a previous marriage. Mrs Sprung has lived here for 11 years. They have been married for ten years. They met when Mrs Sprung’s sister took banjo lessons from Mr Sprung in New York City.

There is a great need for more people to adopt children from China and Vietnam, Mrs Sprung said. In Vietnam both boys and girls are available for adoption. Most children there are relinquished be cause of poverty or because the mother is unmarried, she added. In China parents are forbidden to relinquish their children. “If they are caught abandoning a child, they are in huge trouble.”

Many people in China care about what happens to the children being adopted, Mrs Sprung said. “You have to promise to love and cherish them.”

Most foreign adoptions are from Russia and China. Each of these countries accounted for over 4,000 adoptions in the United States in 1999, according to Iris Arenson-Fuller, executive director and co-founder and director of Thursday’s Child Inc. Next are South Korea and Guatamala, with 2,000 and 1,000 respectively. Vietnam accounted for about 700.

Ms Arenson-Fuller said her agency averages 10 to 35 foreign adoptions a year. “We could do more, but the typical scenario is that there are not enough families,” she added.

She said economic concerns often influence the decision of many people that might adopt. “There is not a lot of help financially, but there are options,” she explained. She said her agency has a modest fund that provides small loans and grants and sponsors fundraising events to add to the fund. Ms Arenson-Fuller said some prospective parents take out lines of credit or home equity loans to finance an adoption.

“People are coming up with creative ways to meet their needs and dreams,” she said, such as sponsorship from church groups and family fundraising efforts. “I’m amazed at people’s ingenuity when they really want something.”

However, despite innovative ideas, the costs of adoption “put it out of reach for most people to expand their families,” she said. “It’s upsetting that adoption is out of the reach of many. Children worldwide need homes. There’s just not enough people waiting to adopt.”

 Mr and Mrs Sprung intend to raise their daughters with knowledge of their individual heritages. “We will celebrate all holidays,” Mrs Sprung said. There are organizations, such as Families of Children of China, and culture camps to help them in that goal. There are also several parents of adopted children in the area.

Some parents send their Chinese daughters to Chinese schools here in the United States, Mrs Sprung said.

Though Emily is now home in Newtown, Mr and Mrs Sprung still have contact with Vietnam, which requires post placement reports.

“On the report we tell how she’s adjusted, and how we’re doing,” Mrs Sprung said. For the first six months, a report must be submitted once a month, with photographs. For the second six months, reports are due every other month, then once a year until Emily is 18.

“They want to know how the children are doing,” Mrs Sprung said. “That was the law, and that was what we signed.”

Asked how he feels about raising two young children at his age, Mr Sprung said with a grin, “I don’t have time to get old. I love them. I love Jenny, and I’m bonding with Emily.”

Mrs Sprung echoed his feelings. “They have made my life so wonderful.”