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...

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...

Florida Adoption Support Group

If you’re here from the adoption support group held on July 23, welcome!! It was nice to meet all of you tonight and I’m looking forward to the next meeting. This blog has lots of information for parents who’ve adopted and those who are starting the process. Take a look at the “Posts Of Interest” in the right sidebar or you can use the tags in the left sidebar. If you’re interested in...

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...

Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Awards $7.75 M...

DUBLIN, Ohio, July 1, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption announced today a total of $7,750,000 United States grants issued this year, including $7,223,000 from Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, the Foundation’s signature program. In addition, $594,700 was awarded to Wendy’s Wonderful Kids grantees in Canada. The remaining $480,000 in U.S. grants provided critical...

Adoption PSA

Share Tags: adopting a child, adopting children, Adoption, adoption options, choosing adoption, Gay Adoption, Older Child Adoption, Special Needs Adoption, Transracial Adoption Related posts Home For The Holidays: Foster/Adoption Special (1) ‘Jockey’ Adoption Services & Programs (4) The Reluctant Spouse (0) Support...

The Reluctant Spouse

The following article is by Jill Smolowe, author of A Love Like No Other: Stories from Adoptive Parents. My husband and I equally wanted to adopt children but I know that there are couples that struggle with this. The Reluctant Spouse: Don’t be surprised if your mate resists adoption even as you’re embracing it. By Jill Smolowe It had been a long haul to convince my husband to start a family. When biology failed...

Enjoy A Frosty This Weekend And Support Adoption

This Father’s Day Weekend (June 20-21), Wendy’s is helping consumers treat Dad and help foster children at the same time. Wendy’s third annual Father’s Day Frosty Weekend provides an easy and tasty way to support the cause of foster care adoption and help the more than 129,000 children in the U.S. who are waiting for the love of forever families. During Father’s Day Weekend, Wendy’s will donate 50¢ from every...

Support Adoption And Send A Free E-card For Father...

It’s no secret around here that I am a big supporter of the work The Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption does. Now you can help and it won’t cost you a thing. Create and send a free fathers days e-card, or choose a celebrity created one through their site Frosty Card and Wendy’s will donate 25 cents to The Dave Thomas Foundation For Adoption. Father’s day is this Sunday so stop by their site and...

Madonna Approved To Adopt Mercy

In a reversal of their original decision, a judge approved Madonna’s appeal to adopt three-year-old Chifundo “Mercy” James from Malawi. Madonna’s initial bid for adoption was rejected after a judge ruled prospective parents must live in the country 18 to 24 months.  During Fridays’ hearing, Chief Justice Lovemore Munlo called the so-called residency requirement an “old law.” Madonna released the following...

It’s That Time Of The Year Again

Tomorrow, June 5th, is my daughter’s 14th birthday, but we won’t be celebrating. Let me explain…. When we adopted her, she was eight years old (We also adopted her two siblings at the same time). For the first couple of years, the week leading up to her birthday was always a time of turmoil for us. Moodiness, nastiness and sadness would fill her up and hurt anyone in her path, usually us, her family. Some...

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...

Free Course On Creating Lifebooks

Adoption Learning Partners is offering a free online course all about creating lifebooks. This course covers some of the things that could be included in a lifebook, and provides templates you can print out and use. This course will be free until May 31, 2009. Beginning June 1, however, there will be a $30 fee. So there’s extra motivation to get started now! Use the link below to register. Adoption Learning Partners ©...

Hugh Jackman Talks About Australia’s Adoptio...

HUGH Jackman has sent a message of support to Madonna after her failed bid to adopt a Malawian orphan while bitterly attacking Australia’s adoption laws. The Aussie movie star and his wife, Deborra-Lee, have two kids who they adopted as babies from America – Oscar, eight, and three-year-old Ava. But, like Madonna, their hopes of giving a home to a Third World child were crushed by rules that made it virtually...

Adoption Reform Begins In Oklahoma

One of our adoption forum members brought this to our attention yesterday. Legislation increasing financial transparency during the adoption process to prevent the extortion of adoptive families gained the approval of the Oklahoma House of Representatives this week. OKLAHOMA CITY (April 16, 2009) – Both the Oklahoma House of Representatives and state Senate voted today to increase financial transparency during the adoption...

Adoption Tax Credit

You may be able to take a tax credit for qualifying expenses paid to adopt an eligible child (including a child with special needs). The adoption credit is an amount subtracted from your tax liability. For expenses paid prior to the year the adoption becomes final, the credit generally is allowed for the year following the year of payment. A taxpayer who paid qualifying expenses in the current year for an adoption which...

Rosie’s Family by Lori Rosove

Popular picture book provides vital advice for interracial and multi-cultural adoptive families. It is an essential tool for adoptive parents and their children for better understanding of adoption. Asia Press, a small press publisher of children’s books, today announced that it will not be re-printing its popular book, “Rosie’s Family; An Adoption Story” after the current run is sold out. 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...

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...

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,...

Home For The Holidays: Foster/Adoption Special

Tune into CBS on Tuesday, December 23 8 p.m. EST/PST or 7 p.m. CST/MST For the 10th Annual A Home for the Holidays Special Celebrating Foster Care Adoption! Don’t miss this heartwarming one-hour television show! Celebrity performers will share the stage with extraordinary American families who share their joy and their stories of foster care adoption. This year’s show features Faith Hill and includes Tim McGraw,...