Dr. G just wrote a long post (part 1 and part 2) about how she hates adoption. And although she said not to guess at her motivation I'm going to analyze her nonetheless: she doesn't really hate adoption - she just hates having to think about it and write about it and worry about it all the time. If you write about adoption publically, like we do on the blogs, you get criticized - sometimes by readers and sometimes by fellow bloggers. And although many times commenters are kind... more

This write-up is from the FRUA board and is sponsored by the FRUA-DC chapter:

Winterfest is our biggest event of the year, and we finally have the plans all ready. The purpose of Winterfest is to get adoptive families together to celebrate our children, and offering some cultural exposure for the kids. For Parents-In-Progress this is a wonderful encouragement to see the children home with their families, and we would love to have you join us!

So here is the lowdown:

Saturday, February... more

No one chimed in on my request for opinions on the fourth recommendation, so I'll just say this: J & D lasted the required thirty days in the state of Pennsylvania. They didn't even avoid contact with me at that time out of fear that I'd think, "Aww, the kid sounds cute."

So why can't you?

It is my personal belief that if better counseling for expectant families (as followed by these recommendations and beyond)... more

First of all, I want to make sure everyone knows that you are welcome to ask any question that's on your mind. I don't promise to know the answers, but I'll give it my best shot, and chances are, someone who reads here will know the things that I don't know. In the past I have featured some questions that readers had, and I'll be happy to feature more whenever I get more, so ask away.

Today's question is from Dawn:

I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to help my husband and I with some questions. Rather than overwhelm you with them, we'll hit you with a big one first.

How did your older, biological children accept your adopted children? We have... more

Continued from previous post...

I have written several posts questioning the extent to which coercion exists in adoption on many different levels.

--Coercion in prematurely terminating parental rights of mothers who are substance addicted or struggling with mental health issues. I think this is a group of so-called surrendering parents who are prime targets for being coerced. After all who gives a damn about them?

--Coercion of adoptive parents to conform to the new push towards open adoption.

--Coercion of women in crisis... more

I am in a foul, foullllll mood this morning so everybody please stay the (heck) out of my way. I am usually a centrist on most things involving the adoption debate. Always taking, or at least trying to take the so-called intellectual high road. Interested in hearing all points of view. Even when I think a particular point of view is idiotic or just downright obnoxious and rude. First seeking to understand and then seeking to be understood. Blah-blah. Blah-blah. But, I'm not feeling any of that this morning. Not one bit.

It has always been fairly... more

As I have written about several time this month, November is National Adoption Month. On the ABC talk show, earlier this week, The View had a segment dedicated to adoption.

There are over a half million children waiting for a home to call their own and The View welcomed a few of the faces of foster care and the families who have opened their hearts and lives to come and share their inspiring and heartwarming stories.

One of the guest, Victoria Rowell, who was a special guest co host on the show and is also an actress talked about her life... more

Today I am thankful for Munchkin's Mom, D, and all that she has done for the Munchkin, for me and for our family. Of course, I am always thankful for D; she has been a godsend. She's the type of adoptive Mom that you wish for your child, for your situation.

D and I didn't become best friends instantaneously. It's required some work on both parts. As I stated before, I bonded with J first as he's the more talkative and outgoing spouse. However, I... more

The December 2006 issue of Adoptive Families magazine includes some news tidbits of interest to parents adopting internationally:

USCIS Provides Contact Info for Adopting Parents

Each field office of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), formerly known as INS (Immigration and Naturalization Services) now has an e-mail address devoted solely to international adoptions.

The URL in Adoptive Families is outdated... more

I don’t want to make it seem as if adopting made our marriage worse, it actually strengthened us in ways we could not imagine. I’m a better person, friend and wife now that I’m a Mom. I think that in general stress can bring out the best or worst in people. Adoption is stressfull- the time, travel, money all add up to stress. All the issues we struggled with once becoming parents were not brand new issues to us. They were always there; I think we just had more time & energy to focus on them as a childless couple. As parents we felt the need to rise above... more