What should my family get for our adopted child's foster parent?

Question

My family recently adopted a young child from Hong Kong. We will be traveling to China soon to pick him up. Our adoption service told us that gifts are a big part of the adoption process as this woman has fostered our new child since his birth. We want to get her something that will show our most sincere appreciation. Does anyone have any ideas on what we should get her that would not offend her or the Chinese culture? Or, any advice on the culture of Hong Kong so we can have a better idea of what to get?

Answer 1

Since your adoption service told you that gifts are a big part of the adoption process, you should go back to them and ask them for suggestions.  They should have a lot of ideas of things that would be good and appreciated.

Someone mentioned a short list of things to know.  Let me add one thing to that list.  If you add a card to your gift(s), do NOT write it or sign it in red colored ink as this would be an insult.  

Regardless of what they recommend as good gifts, make sure you include a gift that is specially "from you both"... either something you have made, or something that's unique and only made in your area of the country.  For example, if you are from Vermont, you could take some maple sugar candy as one gift, since Vermont is one of the few places where maple syrup is made.  

If you are a craft-oriented person, you could make a fabric covered, or handmade frame and give them a specially framed photo of him as a momento.  

Ask them if you may take their photograph so you can tell the child how wonderful it was that they cared for him until you could come get him.  Make sure you get their address and/or a way to send them photos of him as he grows.  I think they would like that.

Still, your agency should know what would not offend them due to their cultural differences from you.

You can also google, Hong Kong culture and you may well find several websites that have information that will help you.

Answer 2

I haven't got a clue I'm afraid, but can't your adoption service advise you on that? If they're saying gifts are so important to adoption, maybe they can suggest some ideas.

Answer 3

Do some research on Hong Kong and ask the people you know who are familiar with Chinese culture. I stayed with a family overseas and I brought pecans with me because we had a grove of them. It turns out they are a big delicacy over in Scotland.

Answer 4

An American child in need.

Answer 5

Two gifts. One you you could get something of their culture , maybe clothing for the child. The other is something you could later send them after you get the child because, you and the child could make them something.

Answer 6

A fat knot of cash...tucked under a gift basket set.

Answer 7

We adopted our son in the U.S. but he was in foster care from birth as well. We gave his foster family a flowering tree as a gift. They had a very nice garden and we thought that if they planted it, the tree would remind them of the child they had raised to the age of 2-1/2. They seemed to appreciate it.

Answer 8

A few general tips I've heard for gift giving in China.  Don't wrap anything in white, it symbolizes death.

Often gifts that are souvenirs of where you are from so they will have something from where the child is going to be is appreciated.

Weird, but I've heard that deodorant is really appreciated as a gift for caretakers in China.  I don't know if it's hard to get or really expensive or what.  

My daughter wasn't adopted from China, but these are just a few things I remember hearing.  I don't know specifically about Hong Kong.