When I packed up my most important effects during the preparation process of making my first international move, a substantial component of the bulk that was my life at the time was made up of footwear.

Although I donated my tap shoes and golf shoes ... adorable pink and white oxfords with some mean cleats ... along with at least forty pairs of flats, pumps, heels, mules, boots, sandals, slippers, jellies, sneakers, loafers, espadrilles and moccasins to covetous friends and Goodwill, I still came to my new life in... more

After coming to the realization that Solomon was indeed meant to be with us, I had a lot of conflicting emotions. When I saw new pictures of him from people who traveled to AHOPE or heard little udpates on how he was doing, my heart soared.

And yet at the same time, I was really nervous. For one, I was worried that Josh would not agree that we should adopt him. Deciding to adopt Belane was very emotionally difficult on both of us, and I did not want to go through that, or put Josh through that again. However I did know that there was at least a possibility that he would be open to the idea, because a few months earlier he had knocked my proverbial socks off when he told me that HE... more

Why is adoption so expensive? That is the million-dollar question. Some people will say it is because adoption professionals are making money off adoptions. However, many agencies are not-for-profit and seemingly have no reason to “rip off” hopeful adoptive parents. For example, I truly believe that Catholic Social Services is seeking to do what they believe is best for the child as part of a ministry for the Catholic Church.

However, even a not-for-profit adoption agency is incredibly expensive. Our agency,... more

Yes, the rumors are true. We are adopting again! :) I have been sharing our story of how this all came to be, and in my last post I explained how we got reconnected with our little Solomon, who we first met while in Ethiopia last fall.

Upon learning that Solomon was still available for adoption, I did have not have that overwhelming "this is your child" feeling right away like I did with Belane. It was more like a quiet, yet persistent thought and voice in my head, that gradually grew louder and harder to ignore.

My first... more

If your adopted child was conceived through rape or incest, should you tell him? Many people argue that an adopted child should never be told this information. Here are the reasons why:

1. This knowledge can affect your child’s self-esteem.

It is a struggle for many teenagers to feel good about themselves. Between their raging hormones and all of the angst that comes along with the teen years, many teenagers struggle with their self-esteem. A child’s adoption adds another... more

The next sound you hear will be that of me tooting my own horn. It will be a short, subdued toot, but a toot nonetheless.

Reason for a tiny toot? This news item on adoption that quotes me.

When contacted by the Agence France-Press for information, my immediate inclination was to ask that any report on the present adoption climate be balanced, and I think including my comments may have added a bit to that.

If you're following the ... more

I have written about the Certificate of Citizenship (C of C) some parents opt to procure for their internationally adopted children, and the debate continues over the importance of having such a document.

The cost to obtain a C of C jumped considerably at the end of last month, and many parents feel it's overkill with a passport being considered to be more than enough proof that their child has the full rights of a citizen of the United States of America.

A... more

The West African country of Ghana is in many ways a success story. It's neither war-torn nor dictator-ruled, businesses do well there and investment is heavy, and one of their citizens just finished a stint ... a very long stint ... as Secretary General of the United Nations, one of the biggies in prestige jobs in the global village.

The country gets no pass on other problems rife in Africa, however, as allegations of corruption and a huge HIV/AIDS population both come with the territory. Of course, the UN... more

I need to take a minute before jumping into this post to scratch my head in wonder at some of the thinking that takes place in peoples' heads, then gets written about in the news.

I don't know about everyone else, but some things that come through to me as crystal clear and with no ambiguity seem so astonishingly simple to grasp, and I'm absolutely confounded when confronted with black and white proof that others so often miss the point completely.

Here's my example of this for the day, a report which features the District Officer of a Social Welfare Department in Ghana... more

Some days seem to hammer home points about aging, while others continue to lull me into the illusion that no matter how quickly time passes, ripened fruit will forestall any dropping for one heck of a long time.

Today, as you'll notice from the rather one-note song sung on this blog, is one of the former, unfortunately. Appropriate for a category where "Older Parent" places equal emphasis on both words, although the 'older' could beg the question:... more