There is a thread going on the FRUA forum about the speed (and enthusiasm) with which adopted Eastern European kids do (or don’t) embrace learning English. I was instantly in a time warp, transported back 13 years ago to when Tommy first arrived from South America at age nine.

Since Amy was very young when she joined us, we didn’t have a frame of reference for how quickly Tommy would learn English. Certainly, he arrived speaking Spanish and no English.

I clearly remember one day driving Stephanie to gymnastics practice—a... more

From Canada, there's some frightening news about kid health:

The steady rise in childhood obesity, which is outpacing adult obesity, can be linked to lifestyle changes that see kids sitting at computers rather than playing outside, consuming larger portions of food, and eating processed food high in trans fats and sugar.

And many are now saying that, because of health issues tied to obesity, the parents of this generation of kids could be the first to outlive... more

As I was editing the ADN Conference program this morning, it struck me that our three keynote speakers are all slated to deliver such positive messages. How awesome! Parenting challenging children is rarely punctuated with positives, yet reading these description, here are adoption/attachment disorder veterans planning to infuse HOPE into the conference attendees.

The conference will be opened by Nancy Thomas, an internationally-known therapeutic parenting specialist. Nancy is founder of Families By Design, an author and trainer.... more

The Sheraton Hotel in Addis Ababa is said to be the finest hotel in all of Africa. Basic (nicely-equipped) rooms cost $230-$250 a night and suites can be much more expensive than that. That was a little too pricey for me, and so I never actually stayed there. But I did walk through the lobby on the way to and from the bank and can tell you it is amazing. High ceilings, marble pillars, an upper balcony, a fountain. This place is posh.

Thanks to my 3 year old needing to use the restroom, I even got to check out one of the public restrooms. Black marble. Real towels, gold fixtures, and-- get this--... more

When you are sure you are speaking with the right person ask them to write down your phone number incase you get disconnected. When you are ready to move on with the conversation I would prepare your natural mother by saying that you have news that may be something of a surprise to her. Then, ask if the date of your birth means anything to her. You can then ask if it is a good time to talk or would it be better if you called back and if so when?

If your natural mother chooses to say something that sounds like she does not want to talk remember that someone may be... more

This is a little bit off topic in regards to transracial adoption, but someone posted this information on one of my email groups this morning and I thought it was important enough for all parents that I would share it on here.

The Family Watchdog website is a site that provides information to parents, grandparents, babysitters, etc. about sex offenders. The site allows you to put in your address, and a map comes up with all of the registered sex offenders in your area. This site shows registered sex offenders that live near your home or school, and ones that work near your home or school. You might be unpleasantly surprised who is living... more

So, this is Foshan, the Guangdong Province city famed for porcelain, martial arts (my tai chi chuan teacher came from Foshan), and adoptive parents displaced by the 99th annual Canton Trade Show, which has utterly consumed the city.

We visited the pearl market (a pearl market) today. From our facilitator's description -- and from the look of the place -- it's... more

The move to open adoption records is currently underway in several states. For the past 3 years or so, I have been following the attempts fairly closely. Since I am on several different adoption list and news groups, I receive posts from different sources about open records legislation in the news.

I began to notice that some of my emails sought to enlist my support for legislation in certain states and others were against the same legislation. At first I was puzzled until I realized that there is a divide amongst open records proponents.

Some backers of open records legislation... more

With spring upon us, birds chirping, trees budding, and tulips blooming, I have been thinking about fun things to do this summer with Punkin. I am hoping we will get one visit alone with him and I think I know what we will do, but I’m not certain. Here is a list of my ideas!

The Park – We are hitting the park for our next visit. Punkin loves to play outside and I want to play with him at the park, so there you go. We will be taking a picnic lunch with us and celebrating his mom’s birthday as well, so it will be a big day.

The Zoo – I am hoping that maybe we will get to go to the zoo as well. I love to watch kids as they wonder at all of the exotic animals in the zoo. ... more

One common misconception about maturity is that it brings with it a knowledge and respect of manners.

Hang out long enough on Internet groups and forums and you'll learn the folly of that belief. Middle-aged moms in cyber-space can be really rude ... and downright mean.

I suspect many who happily shoulder flame throwers, emit an evil cackle, then fire at will are mild mannered mothers in real life ... sweet bakers of cookies, helpers of neighbors, room-den-house mothers with kindly smiles and warm natures ... but there's something about the shotgun communication capabilities... more