that's a very cursory and general response.

Are you perhaps a teenage mom?

I agree that staying with the biological family is probably the better choice but there are so many variables. I would say the majority of families looking to adopt really badly want children just because they love kids and have altruistic motives. I personally would love to adopt. But then you have the crazy people who give the kids back (WTF??) because parenting is harder than they thought, or they're child abusers (i have known countless kids in foster care that were abused) and etc etc. So yes, probably a poor teenage single mother is the better choice there. I was adopted and fit in somewhere in between. But let's face it: they turn out just OK. The majority of kids that grow up in such a situation are usually burdened with more stress and life issues than any child should deal with. Just because they can doesn't mean they should. What would the effects of such issues have on educational and social development? Compound that with unexpected/undiagnosed (because single moms are busy and usually the budgets too tight to get proper therapy) psychological or physiological issues and life has a good chance of going in a downward spiral. It's a chance being taken with someone's life. Being raised by a poor single teenage mom some turn out "fine", but is that good enough? I don't think so.