I recently had the opportunity to interview a birthmom who relinquished her child through her state’s safe haven laws. Before I dive into the heart of the post, let me tell you a little bit about safe haven laws in case you are unfamiliar with them. Safe haven allows allow a mother to safely leave her newborn child at a designated safe haven such as a fire department or hospital anonymously without being charged for abandonment. The child is then placed for adoption through the state. Safe haven laws are now in effect in each of the United States.

I have always thought women who used safe haven laws to relinquish their children were mysterious. They typically remain anonymous and we... more

My stomach just turned and it's not because I'm on cup five of coffee before any real food consumption. (Though the latter is true.) While reading through the adoption alerts that have piled into my inbox over my extended weekend, I came across this little gem of an opinion letter out of a Chicago newspaper. Beware before reading that the opinions presented are not that of this blogger and some of the language is rather infuriating.

The letter asks adoptees seeking access to their birth records... more

Sometimes life sends you wake-up calls even when you think you're walking with your eyes wide open. I must say that the past two weeks have been rather joyful in my home and my life. Not completely, of course, as things aren't ever perfect but the joy has kept me floating. You see, a piece that I wrote about my adoption journey was recently published in Redbook magazine. Recently meaning it's in the current May issue, on stands now. (Helen Hunt is in the front. My Husband thinks this is outstanding!) You can find it online here... more

A reader posed a question to me after reading a blog I wrote for my daughter on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The blog was a reminder that racism and prejudice are alive and well in today’s world. I suggested that it is up to us parents, to change the world’s thinking, at home one child at a time. We cannot allow our children to make racist comments, repeat, or even listen to racist jokes at home. Educate your children about judging a person by his or her heart, actions, and words, instead of by the color of skin.

Here is the readers comment.

Question... more

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13, NASB).

I will not repeat the lyrics of the song my daughter composed for my birthday, as my age features in it prominently (though I think that’s very funny!), but today is my (mumble)-eth birthday. Last night, my kids took me to a store where you can create your own stuffed animal. The animal I chose had a portion of his purchase price as a donation to several charitable organizations dealing with special health needs. Therefore, I made Humphrey a bear with multiple special... more

What was I doing 25 years ago today and where was I doing it? That is an easy one. I was giving birth to my first born son. Actually, his time of birth in the evening was about the same as when I began typing this story. We were in Midland Texas during the oil boom for a few years, which included his birth. Many people flocked to West Texas during the boom because there were many jobs and lots of money. That was long before our adoption journey began. We parented close to a hundred children in the past 14 years hoping to adopt a baby girl through the Michigan foster care system.... more

Oh, adoption drama! Ring the alarm! And it's not even on an adoption blog or site. The fisticuffs are happening over at Celebrity Baby Blog, of all places. And the nasty words flying around are about... a shirt. I actually covered the shirt (and its offensive nature) last October (so I feel these people are behind on the game or maybe I'm just ahead of the game!). This time, the site... more

After a hiatus lasting several weeks (due to an insurance change), we started therapy for our daughter again last week. We met as a family group, and today was our first one-on-one with our daughter and her therapist.

The therapist took our daughter in, and said she’d be back out for me a little later. Having done this with our previous therapist, I settled in with my knitting, figuring I’d have a good 45 minutes or so. So, I was surprised when, about 20 minutes later, they came to get me!

We headed back to the therapist’s office, and she said, “Why are... more

It’s prom night at some of the local high schools in my town. My nephew and his girlfriend will be attending. She has the perfect dress. He has a corsage for her. They’ll go to dinner with friends before the prom and the bowling after party to end the night. They’ll come home, tired but happy. But before they crawl into bed, they’ll check in on their sleeping son.

I’ve written about my nephew and his girlfriend before. They are teen parents. When they found out that L was unexpectedly pregnant, L was sixteen and T was seventeen. At first, they were not sure what they were... more

Did you grow up hearing the Golden Rule? The verse that is frequently referred to as the Golden Rule is found in Luke chapter 6, verse 31 and it says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (NIV) I think that most children, even those who are not part of a church family have heard this rule. One of the purposes of learning Bible verses is so they can come into your mind when you need them. Believe me, after helping many children memorize verses to recite on AWANA club nights, I have learned many. Obviously, the children recognize these verses when I recite them as well.... more