While attending a performance in sl I noticed a pregnant avatar in the audience. I became curious about this side of sl life and decided to investigate, which led me to the Kids First Adoption Agency and Maternity Clinic, one of a number of sims providing services to those who wish to have children in sl. Its owner, Rachel Jevon showed me around the clinic, described the services offered and answered my questions.
At Kids First there are two ways to have children, through pregnancy or adoption. If the choice is through pregnancy a single avatar or a couple can come to the Maternity Clinic and place an order. The prospective parents talk with a member of the Kids First staff and the staff uses the information from to create a baby to fit in with the family, perhaps through choosing skin tone or eye color that is similar to that of one parent or a blend of the two. Gender can be chosen or left to chance. To quote Ms. Jevon it is "mostly about listening to the patient...it is very personalized indeed". A single baby pregnancy costs $L2500, twins $L4000, triplets $L4500 and quadruplets $L5000. This includes weekly exams, weekly ultrasounds, sonograms, anytime assistance, talking tummy, shape modifications or a new shape, labor, delivery and recovery. Pregnancies can last from 4 to 6 weeks, labor usually lasts from 20 to 45 minutes, depending on the number of people participating and different options chosen, such as the father cutting the cord. The clinic itself has two each of the examination rooms, delivery rooms and recovery rooms. While the examination and labor rooms are clinical looking, as one would expect, the recovery rooms are very homey and spacious enough to allow for friends and family to visit. I was told that some very large groups indeed, including sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles and grandparents, have visited the new parents in the recovery rooms. Recovery can take up to an hour, depending on the wishes of the new parent(s).
The second way to have children is through adoption. Ms. Jevon says that most people who have babies at her clinic graduate to adopting a child from the agency. This is done in a separate building on the sim, at the adoption agency. Prospective parents fill out an application and open a panel, which includes a picture and the application. There are also panels with pictures and information on children waiting to be adopted. The prospective parents can touch these childrens' panels to receive the information on the children. Once the parents have found a match, they touch the panel again, choose the "like" option and a five day trial begins. If all goes well, at the end of five days the child is fully adopted. The children are actually all adults in rl who have chosen to role play as children in sl. They are not children in rl.
Why do sl residents decide to become either parents or children? There are probably as many answers as avatars doing this. Some residents are unable to have children in rl and so fulfill their desire in sl. It can also be something as simple as the natural extension of a close partner relationship. As for why people wish to be children in sl, it may be because of an unhappy childhood in rl, a wish to be a child again or because some residents prefer not to be involved in some of the dramas that can come with more "adult" relationships in sl.
I also asked what happens when couples break up. Sometimes the children will remain with one parent, but occasionally they will put themselves up for adoption again if the situation is too uncomfortable. As in rl, breakups can be difficult.
The sim has been open about 4 months and at least 30 births have taken place within that period. At least half of them were multiple births, mostly twins. Single people, boyfriend/girlfriend couples, married couples and same sex couples have all successfully had children. Ms. Jevon mentioned that artificial insemination role play is a possibility for same sex female couples, and even though it has not been done yet, surrogacy might be possible, too, which could be of interest to same sex male couples.
While anyone can enter the sim, steps have been taken to ensure the privacy of the clients. Each time I visited, I was almost immediately met by a member of the staff right after I tp'd there. It is not possible to walk into the examination, labor or recovery rooms without a staff member, and the staff, while being polite and professional, are vigilant about this.
Kids First Adoption Agency and Maternity Clinic is a business, but it is also a labor of love (pun intended) for Rachel Jevon. As she says "The joy people experience through this is amazing."
Kids First Adoption Agency, Pleasant Shores (115, 240, 23).