One of the many challenges of adopting an older child, especially a teenager, is to talk openly about sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Teenagers that have been in foster care are more likely to be sexually active than their peers are and less likely to use protection.

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes in women, provide ideal environments for the bacteria to... more

I wish she'd been smart enough, or loving enough, to realize everybody has burdens that crush them, only they don't give up their children.

While reading The Secret Life of Bees, this sentence made me put down the book, get a drink of water and retreat to the backyard which is my quiet place for thinking and self-reflection. It hit me, hard, the words of a daughter who had been left behind by her mother. I have always said and believe it to the core of my being that we, as birth and adoptive... more

Should you tell your child’s teacher about his adoption? If yes, then when should you share this information? Is a child’s adoption something that a teacher needs to know about, or is it private information that your child should decide whether to share?

I am active on a message board for adoptive mothers, and we have debated this topic several times. We have never been able to reach consensus, so I will share with you the pros and cons discussed. I do not believe there is a right or wrong answer: Follow... more

Since we’re traveling to Ethiopia with two children (5 and 2) and returning from Ethiopia with 4 kids, I’ve been giving this topic some serious thought.

My husband says I’m overthinking this-- maybe so. But I have a three-part plan for occupying the little girls on the way there. Our first flight is only a couple hours. I’ll be bringing fanny packs loaded with goodies for the girls, and plan to keep them in my own bag until after take-off. Hopefully we can get through at least the first half hour just with windows and tray tables and the novelty of flying. But when restlessness sets in, I’ll hand each little girl her own fanny pack filled with goodies.

Each fanny... more

Clearly I know very little about raising traumatized children. I am flying by the seat of my pants with my 39 kids. It isn’t easy, there are no instruction manuals, and I need a lot of outside help.

I’m not afraid either to fail or to make mistakes. It takes an ability to do both. It takes my own willingness to discard my great ideas that didn’t work and to move on to those that do. Or to just continue trying to discover those that do.

I’ll meet tomorrow with a new psychiatrist that has joined the psychologists group that I’ve been using for... more

From International Adoption: How to Choose a Country:

5. Research the history and political climate of each country.

Before you choose a country for your international adoption, be sure to learn all you can about the country’s history, culture, and political climate. Once you adopt a child from that country, your family will be connected to that country. Your child’s roots are from that country,... more

Those of you who are getting ready to travel to Russia to complete adoptions with newly accredited agencies may want to read a new feature story on the Associated Press wire.

Then again, you may not. It's all about Russian air safety, or more properly, the lack of air safety.

If you have been reading this blog for a while, you know the basic issues involving aviation in Russia: deregulation, competition--and too many fatal crashes. (Read the previous posts "How... more

A few weeks ago (July 8, 2007,) Reuters reported that the rising number of incidents of Dengue Fever in Viet Nam were causing concern. As of July 8th the disease had taken the lives of 27 Vietnamese people. It had also infected over 20,000 people in the first half of 2007, which is 23% more cases than last year. A warden message was issued by the United States Embassy in Hanoi... more

Feeling like the pressures of parenthood are mounting?

Tired of struggling to stay awake with a new infant night after night?

Need a break?

Well, if you are in Australia ... or ready to pack up for a trip down under ... you, too, can join other mothers at the new $8 million, five-star "mother's retreat" in the Lavender Bay area of Sydney.

For a mere $1300 (US... more

“Are you afraid of the role you played in this loss?”

-Ann, Lili Taylor of Lifetime's "State Of Mind"

This is what I encountered while flipping through channels late at night, searching for something to help keep my eyes open just a bit longer. Boy did that open my eyes.

Lifetime’s new show “State Of Mind” staring Lili Taylor, aired a particularly interesting episode (only the show’s 4th) centering on a birthmother’s quest to locate her now 13... more