The parent can reclaim the child within 15 months once social case workers have determined that the mother or father is capable of caring for the child.

This, coupled with the specter of several high-profile court cases in which biological parents have successfully reclaimed their children after years of separation, can intimidate potential adopters.

When the parents reclaimed their children in October, Mrs. Matos called child welfare and other authorities, but was told she could be accused of kidnapping unless she returned them.

The tumult was a tonic on the once-embattled sidewalks as parents proudly reclaimed their sons.

There are also a handful of cases brought by would-be adoptive parents who were forced to give up babies they were raising when a biological parent reclaimed them.

Corduff's parents first arrived in Rossport in 1947, and reclaimed a farm by hand out of bogland.

He is at work on a book to be titled "Saving Childhood," which challenges parents to reclaim the ideal of childhood innocence.

"This helps parents reclaim their neighborhoods from influences on their children that encourage smoking," said David A. Lehmann, a vice president of the American Cancer Society.

He has encountered parents who use UGMA's to pay the occasional bill, too, although he had never heard of parents' completely reclaiming an account.

Could parents reclaim their children?