Adoptive parents are like...

bread. (And you thought my evolution analogy was out there.) Early on, bread dough is soft and pliable. It can be worked into a variety of different things. Then when you cook it in the oven for a while, like you do asking adoptive parents all those homestudy and dossier questions, it comes out with just the right crust on the outside, with a soft, yummy interior. That crust gives the adoptive parents what they need to endure the crazy questions and insensitive comments that are bound to happen. If all goes well, everyone enjoys a nice loaf of bread. However, if the bread is left sitting too long, it starts to get stale. Then, if left even longer, it starts to get really yucky with some funky green stuff growing on it, and nobody wants to see that. Please don't leave the adoptive parents waiting too long.