In the book I recently completed, "The Adoption.com Guide to US Infant Adoption" (Yes, that's a plug.), I early on address the fact that adoption is, amongst other things, a word.

The word 'adoption' gets thrown around quite casually in our world: IT companies want adoption of their software; local zoos hope you'll adopt a tiger or a giraffe; elected officials wrangle for adoption of their favorite bills; dogs and cats are available for adoption at the SPCA; those trying to garner influence hope listeners will adopt their attitude; Romania wants to adopt the Euro; get promoted and you can adopt a new title; retire and you adopt a new lifestyle.

Not to put too fine a point on it, at its most basic 'adoption' is a word, and words can be played with, minced, clipped and ... well ...adopted for use in various capacities.

For some, this cavalier tossing of the "A" word into realms of dialog that have nothing to do with children becoming permanent members of families is annoying. There are those who feel it cheapens the very soul of adoption, diluting the impact of what is, under most circumstances when the word is applied in the sense it usually takes on this site, a multifaceted dynamic that is anything but casual.

I'm not bothered about it myself.

I'm not fussy about words. Not to say that I don't fuss endlessly when trying to come up with the right one to convey exactly the meaning I'm attempting to get across when I'm expounding on whatever topic has me expounding at any given moment. It's simply that I'm not bothered when a word is used to explain more than one idea, or even when used in a new way that takes some figuring before it mushes into a shape that makes some sense.

(I'm also not disturbed by swearing. Words to me aren't dirty or clean, although how they are used can be. It doesn't take cursing to hurt, and some of the nastiest things people say to each other don't involve any words that would necessitate snacking on a bar of Lifebuoy. Conversely, some fairly eloquent thoughts can be communicated with skillful use of 'F' and "Sh" words. But I digress ... )

Continued ...