Adoptees: Choices, Not Blankets

It’s presumptuous to make a blanket statement about any group of people. It’s inappropriate to assume that an individual will like or dislike something without first getting his or her input. Then why are blanket statement being made about open vs. closed adoption? The unbiased truth about the matter is, there are voices from all triad sides proclaiming the merits of both, yes both. While this country proudly...

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....

Watch The Adoption Angles Webcast Tonight

Debbie Schwartz, program coordinator for Adoption Connection: Jewish Family Services of Greenwich, and a valued member of our adoption forums, is the guest for tonight’s Adoption Angle’s webcast at 9 pm EST /6 pm PST. Click here to watch live . You can login, watch Debbie, and type in questions and comments for her. Click here to watch the archived interview (Click on the May 19 episode to watch the 60 minute...

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...

I Don’t Have Your Eyes

Family connections are vitally important to children as they begin to find their place in the world. For transracial and transcultural adoptees, domestic adoptees, and for children in foster care or kinship placements, celebrating the differences within their families as well as the similarities that connect them, is the foundation for belonging. As parents we can strengthen our children’s tie to family and embrace the...

How To Join Our Adoption Forums

Forever Parents was created in 2002, to support and encourage parents of adoptees and those who are on the path to becoming one. Along with this community blog and our adoption store, the heart of Forever Parents has always been our adoption forum. It’s important for those of us who adopted our children to interact (online or off) with others who understand and can empathize with us. Equally as important is for...

Adoption Community Protest Movie “OrphanR...

Update: Debbie, one of our adoption forum members shared a sample letter. I posted it at the bottom. Update #2: A list of email addresses has been added at the bottom of this post. One of our adoption forum members brought this to our attention (thanks Debbie!) and I am passing it along to anyone who may be interested. I’m also adding my personal thoughts, which I shared on our adoption forum, at the end of this...

International Adoption Resources

(note: you can purchase all the books mentioned in this article, through our secured amazon store, by clicking the links) by Cynthia Teeters You may think that the first thing to do to start an international adoption is to get a list of agencies and begin contacting them for information. Actually, you start by realizing that thousands of parents have passed successfully through this process before you and that by tapping into...

The Traumatized Adoptee

The Traumatized Adoptee From their site: Parents who adopt children from agencies like social services often find themselves wondering what they have gotten themselves into and don’t know where to turn for help. It can feel like navigating a field of barbed wire. This site aims to provide a virtual support group for this community–foster parents, adoptive parents, older kids who have been fostered or adopted,...

Open Adoption – Pros And Cons

We have a diverse group of parents (and those in the pre-parent stage) at our wonderful adoption forum. Some are in open adoptions and others, like myself are in closed adoptions. Still others are in alternative arrangements that work best for them and their children. As parents of this generations adoptees, we all know what works for one family may not work for another family. What are your thoughts on open adoption? What...

My Daughter Explains Adoption

As a young adoptee, my ten year old daughter (adopted at the age of five) has been faced with the task of explaining adoption from time to time, to her friends. This is a topic she and I have spoken about several times and will continue to discuss as she grows up. I feel very strongly that we, as parents of adopted children, should empower them to be able to answer questions about adoption and educate the people they come in...

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...