An attitude of gratitude?

When I started discussing the opportunity of adoption, someone said to me, "I bet an orphan from another country would be very grateful to you for adopting them." WHAT!?!?! That got me really thinking.....
Have you ever met a child who was simply grateful for a comfortable lifestyle? I sure haven't. And I will not be disillusioned in thinking that my adopted child will one day express her gratitude. Mostly because I do not think any gratitude is owed. Every child is deserving of a stable home, people to call family, consistent meals and clothing on their backs. They deserve to sleep in a plush bed with as many stuffed animals that will fit. They deserve to have someone come running when they wake up from a bad dream or fall off their bike. Someone to kiss their boo boos and cut the crust off their sandwiches.
It is my experience with children, that they feel entitled to these rights. Generally, very little gratitude is expressed when we meet these needs. I'm sure I rarely thanked my mother for putting me in clean pajamas before bed or reading me a bedtime story. On the contrary, I probably demanded one more story be read and that she bring me a glass of milk. At which, I'm sure, she let me pick out one more book while I drank my milk. Why? Because she loved me.
I will never expect a birth child or adopted child to feel grateful for these things. I do, however, pray that I will provide my children with a childhood worthy of repeating. A childhood that they will look back on when they have their own children, and hope to supply them with the same sense of belonging and security. I hope my children have a childhood that teaches them unconditional love, self-confidence, stewardship, leadership and compassion.
Whether I birth a child or choose a child, I will know that God hand selected that child for me. And I should give them all that is within my power because that is what they deserve.