Recently after speaking with someone about the "National Fatherhood Coalition." On the importance of a male role model being present in a child's life. I began thinking about what a Father figure really means.

You may call him Dad or Daddy, Pop or Poppa. He could have been an Uncle or even a Grand Dad. Whomever he was. What he taught you is worth more than words.

In Foster Care and Adoption. Even in single parent homes. At times the male and or female role model may not be present. In these cases who is the person that shows... more

Things what have come to light on this day:

So, there's a lot of hubbub in the mainstream media about the new Batwoman, Kathy Kane, who's apparently just like the old Batwoman, Kathy Kane, except she's had an affair with an ex-police detective who is also a woman. Because, of course, this is much stranger than donning a red-and-yellow bodysuit to go and beat up muggers. Oh, with a utility purse, too. Anyway, that's all well and good, but the Batwoman revamp is being accompanied by a whole "ethnic revamp" of DC and Marvel titles, according to the New York Times (or, well, a blogger quoting... more

Ok, so in my last post I summed up the “Reality Check” survey by Public Agenda which showed some troubling differences in the ways that white students and minority students in the U.S. described their school experiences.

I thought that the survey was interesting, and or course upsetting that there would be such a difference. I do think that it would have been more enlightening if white students and minority students in the same schools had been interviewed for the survey however, because I don’t think that it is a surprise to anyone that issues like dropout rates, drugs, fighting,... more

The first time my sister called we talked for only a few minutes and I have to say that I felt uncomfortable. I wasn’t sure what to say to her and didn’t want to say the wrong thing. She called a second time a few weeks later and we actually talked for over an hour. The conversation was smooth and I didn’t have the anxiety that I felt in our first conversation. At this point our email communication had pretty much stopped and we were having phone conversations on a regular basis. It was around Easter that my sister asked if we could see one another. She was now living... more

A recent “Reality Check” survey by Public Agenda, a group that describes itself as “a nonpartisan opinion research and civic engagement organization helping Americans explore and understand critical issues since 1975,” found what it describes as “troubling differences in the way minority teens describe their school experiences compared to white pupils.” This was a headline story on Yahoo news this morning and the survey results can be read in full here. Students, parents, teachers and administrators nationwide were surveyed and asked if they felt that issues such as high dropout rates,... more

Continuing from part 1.... Here is an old journal entry. I was looking back at the first 4 months home with Natasha.

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She had very poor language skills even in Russian. My translator had a very hard time understanding her. Part of the problem is that Natasha actually used a strange mish mosh of Ukrainian and Russian together.

And based on what I found out in her language screening (done after being home 6 months), Natasha... more

For adoptees, reunion can resolve many unanswered questions as it does for birth family. I believe that for adoptees the need to find information is often as significant as the need to reconnect. Some adoptees say that the “need to know” is more important than the desire to seek a relationship.

There are other adoptees who feel certain that they want only information, and not a relationship. I think it is premature to decide whether you want contact and/or a possible relationship unless you take the risk and meet your birth family member.

I feel sorry for those... more

KidSave is a non profit organization that works with children to get them into permanent loving homes. KidsSave works with international and domestic children including foster children.

From their website:

Help us find a permanent family, or a lasting connection to a grownup, for every child, everywhere. Since 1999, over 1,300 orphan children have visited the U.S. for summer vacations. Over 1,000 have found forever families through Kidsave's Summer Miracles program.

Host families and... more

Master Lü-tsu said, In comparison with heaven and earth, man is like a mayfly. But compared to the great Way, heaven and earth, too, are like a bubble and a shadow. Only the primal spirit and the true nature overcome time and space.

The energy of the seed, like heaven and earth, is transitory, but the primal spirit is beyond polar differences. Here is the place whence heaven and earth derive their being. When students understand how to grasp the primal spirit, they overcome the polar opposites of light and darkness and tarry no longer in the three worlds [heaven, earth,... more

I found an old journal entry about my darling Natasha. She had been home for 1.5 years when I wrote the following. I was looking back at the first 4 months home.

The picture is Natasha standing front of some Azaleas. She had been home 4 months when this was taken.

Notice the position of her hands. When she is nervous she holds her hands. When she is stressed she chews on her fingertips/nails.

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The first 4 months were the worst emotionally for my darling daughter and me. She was 3.5 years old but developmentally... more