Life As A Foster Child

I recently asked a dear friend of mine to talk about her experience as a foster child. As you read her story, think about ways in which the system could improve so as to provide stability, security, and loving emotional support throughout a child’s youth. Should the goal be reunification, or should it be, for example, a “least restrictive environment” focused upon the child’s psychological needs,...

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...

Keeping In Touch With Former Foster Parents

I’ve previously blogged about the great relationship we have with our children’s former foster parents. Since we finalized our adoption (2003), we’ve made it a point to see them once or twice a year. My kid’s had other foster parents, besides Pat & Bill, but they lived with this particular couple for the last three (of the four) years. In the beginning I felt it was important for my children to...

Gay Couple Allowed To Adopt In Florida

As someone who has lived in Florida for the past six years, I am thrilled with the judge’s decision. There aren’t to many state laws left barring gay people from adopting and the last few done away with. Florida is the only state with an outright ban on gay adoption. Arkansas voters last month approved a measure similar to a law in Utah that bans any unmarried straight or gay couples from adopting or fostering...