Baby Shower for Adopting Parents

We all hear about baby showers for expecting parents, but what about for adopting parents? An adoption baby shower is more than acceptable – it’s encouraged! Adopting parents have the same needs as any other new parents would, but with a few minor considerations. You should steer clear of planning a surprise celebration on the day the family brings their child home. This can be a very emotional time – the...

Adoption Myths

A few months ago, we had a conversation on the adoption forums about what we felt were the most common myths about adoption, specifically about those of us who adopt a child. One of the myths that was posted several times was about adoption being a “last resort” or something we HAVE TO do: “All adoptive parents “have to” adopt because they can’t “have their own” children....

The Perception Of Adoption In History

Back in prior centuries, families were intentionally made large to assure that some children would reach adulthood. Many died of disease, hardship, or injuries. Likewise, mothers died in childbirth, contracted disease, or were injured. Motherless children were cared for by relatives, by a new wife, or by servants. When this was not possible, they became wards of society. There were many children living in poor farms among...

Let’s Get Real!

The term “real” is a source of frustration for those involved in adoption, and yet, people untouched by adoption continue to use it to refer to the biological parents. If you ask an adoptee who the “real” parents are, chances are the child will point to the actively parenting, adoptive parents. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day cards have words describing active parenting, nurturing qualities....

2010 National Adoption Day Spokesperson: Nia Varda...

The National Adoption Day Coalition is pleased to announce Nia Vardalos, the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated My Big Fat Greek Wedding writer and actress, as its 2010 National Adoption Day spokesperson. “Becoming a mother is the best thing that has ever happened to me,” Vardalos said. “I am happy to once again be a part of National Adoption Day. We were matched with our daughter through the U.S....

Haitian Adoptions Jeopardized By Disaster

Tuesday’s earthquake has thrown U.S. families trying to bring home their children into a state of uncertainty. Many are finding themselves in a desperate search for answers about how their children, that they are in the process of adopting, are faring. Some fear that paperwork, which can take months or years, may be buried or lost in crumpled buildings, stalling or halting the adoption. Unlike adoptions in many other...

Adoption Stories: China Adoption

The following post was submitted as a comment by one of our readers. Sharon. The summer before Becca turned six, we moved to a new neighborhood, so that she could have a yard, a playroom, and (eventually) a puppy. A “plus” was that the neighborhood was majority Asian, with the largest proportion of the Asians being Chinese. While Becca had a few close friends and many acquaintances who were adopted from China, like her,...

In Praise Of Foster Parents

The weekend before Christmas has become the time when we host our annual get together with my children’s former foster parents.  I’ve posted about them before but for those of you that are new to our blog or adoption forum, let me backtrack a bit. When we adopted our children, they were 5, 8 and 11 and had been in the foster system for 4 years, the last three being spent with foster parents Pat & Bill.  Over...

Adoption Stories: Infant And Older Child Adoption

The following was submitted by Beth, one of our blog readers. Leave a comment here if you’d like to share your adoption story also. We have three children. Our oldest daughter and son were adopted at birth. Our youngest son was adopted right before his tenth birthday. This is a story of both joy and sorrow, excitement and patience, and most importantly, unconditional love. My husband and I were married in 1965. Like...

A Home For The Holidays: 12/23/09

As the parent of three children that we adopted through foster care, please watch A Home For The Holidays with your family this holiday season. A Home For The Holidays shares, through the eyes of a child, the joy of having a family – not just for the holidays, but every day and forever. Each December, Wendy’s International, Inc., the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and Children’s Action Network present A...

Families Change: A Book for Children Experiencing ...

All families change over time. Sometimes a baby is born, or a grown-up gets married. And sometimes a child gets placed in foster care. Children need to know that when this happens, it’s not their fault. When a child gets adopted they need to understand that they can remember and value their birth family and love their new family, too. Straightforward words and full-color illustrations offer hope and support for...

Adoption As A First Option (pt. 1)

I know many couples come to adoption after being involved in fertility treatments. What about those, like myself, who decided to adopt before exploring other options? Tell us about your experience in the comment section. Here’s what some of our adoption forums members had to say; “Years ago I was in a serious relationship with someone who, for political reasons, felt very strongly that he would never want to bring...

Adoption As A First Option (pt. 2)

This post is a continuation of Adoption As A First Option (pt. 1) “Maybe not exactly what your asking, but my dh and I each had bio children from previous relationships. We never even discussed trying for babies with each other, and actually took measures against it. For some reason, both of us felt drawn to adopt older kids for “our” kids.” “We did not try to conceive before we adopted, (or...

Imagine If Adoption Really Did Cost Only $10.00

Both of my daughters have been active in Girl Scouts for a few years. They have great troop leaders and their experience has been a positive one overall. Over the Christmas holiday, a situation came up with my older daughters troop. The following e-mails will explain the story. The first one is me e-mailing her troop leader. Good morning, Shawna & I went to the store over the weekend and filled those two Christmas...

Quotes About Adoption

My kids & I love adoption quotes. Here’s some that would be great for an adoption lifebook or maybe stenciled or framed on a child’s wall. If you know any other quotes about adoption, please share them in a comment. I have four children. Two are adopted. I forget which two.” -Bob Constantine Every baby needs a lap.” – Henry Robin “I didn’t give you the gift of life, But in my...

Adoption Options

Adoption Options At-a-Glance : A Companion Guide for Families Year Published: 2003 This guide focuses on one way to think about how choices in adoption may flow from one another: There are two types of adoption: domestic and intercountry. Domestic Adoption: Agency Oversight: Agency oversight varies from licensed and accredited agencies to unregulated facilitators. Voluntary Surrender or Termination of Parental Rights (TPR):...

Adoption Forums

Jan 2008 When the Forever Parents adoption forums was first created in 2002, we started on the msn boards, but quickly out grew them and moved to ezboard in 2003, where we’ve been…until last week. We’ve joined the big leagues and are hosting our own forum. Our community supports and encourages adoptive and waiting families in a private setting. There are lots of issues that we, as adoptive and waiting...