tbh i feel like people really overuse the term found family and i think people need to reframe how they look at families like the batfamily in particular ‘cause it’s kind of a weird way to think about adoptive family. like the thing about found family vs. family of origin is found family is a group of people on more or less equal terms with one another who choose to act as a support system for each other
what bruce is doing by adopting all these kids, you see, is adopting them as his kids. he is raising them as their parent. like dick grayson in the teen titans? found family. dick grayson getting pulled out of the foster care system by bruce? well, until 18 that was who raised him and was legally responsible for his wellbeing. maybe he’s not dick’s original family, but that’s his family of origin as far as the role the batfamily plays in his life
and i do think the choice factor in that is worth saving! when it’s done well, adoption can be great! adoptive families can also be abusive or even just kind of hit or miss. they’re held together with the same bonds of obligation as a lot of biological families of origin, and their relationships are complicated in the same way because there’s just a natural power imbalance between parents and children. a kid can love a cool mentor figure in their life all they want, but the adult is the only one in that relationship with the power to make that kid family in the eyes of the law. so, like, yeah. i don’t know when people call that “found family” it just really really really rubs me the wrong way