Recipe for a Successful Adoption When it comes to preparing your heart and home for a new adoption, many prospective parents want to know the keys to success. They question seasoned parents and agency workers about what they should do and when. How much time should they spend reading literature? Is there a secret to choosing the right agency? Which…
Happy Adoption Day! Many adoptive families celebrate Adoption Day. Some may refer to this day as “gotcha” day or placement day. This important day is when an adopted child joins his or her family officially. Many adoptive families choose to celebrate this day uniquely. One family might sit down after a special dinner and reminisce over the day their family…
Moving from Infertility to Adoption Finding out that you may not be able to give birth to biological children is an incredibly painful experience for many couples. For many couples, having a baby signifies an important milestone in their lives that simply can’t be overlooked. They would do anything to raise their own child. You may immediately be overwhelmed by…
Preparing (Or Not) for Adoption Bringing home a new child requires plenty of advance preparation, whether you’re giving birth or adopting. Adoption brings a host of new concerns about whether parents are doing enough to make themselves ready for this new child. Prospective parents spend months pouring over literature, looking at infant pictures, and researching the very best ways to…
I Wished for You by Marianne Richmond “Mama,” said Barley. “Tell me again how I’m your wish come true.” Barley is a little bear asking about his birth story, as many adoptees do. Mama Bear explains to Barley that he was wished for and the story elaborates on the process that Mama Bear went through to bring Barley home. All…
Adoption Counseling What do you think of when you hear the word counseling? Some might consider counseling a place for “other people.” Perhaps you consider counseling to be a place for people with mental health issues or for people who can’t keep their emotions in check on a day to day basis. Maybe counseling is for the weak. Maybe there…
10 Common Reasons for Putting a Child Up for Adoption Many birth mothers struggle with the idea of creating an adoption plan for their baby. Oftentimes, they wonder if their reasons for placing their child for adoption are good enough or understandable. Will she be judged for carrying a child to term and selecting someone else to raise it? Making…
Transracial Adoption We have all seen the covers of People magazine featuring the beautiful photos of Sandra Bullock carrying her chubby thighed, smiley faced, African american baby boy or Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt with their gaggle of children of all different colors, shapes and sizes looking so regal and trendy. Thirty years ago, these families would have been viewed…
6 Questions To Ask Adoptive Parents When Choosing A Family For Your Baby Birth mothers who choose adoption for their babies have an incredibly difficult task set before them when it comes to selecting a family who will ultimately raise the child. Most adoptive families assemble some of their basic information into a type of life book. Whether that means…
Sam’s Sister by Juliet C. Bond and illustrations by Dawn W. Majewski In the adoption world, we explore the experience of an adopted child quite a bit – and with good reason. It’s imperative as adults that we are aware of a child’s perspective and how they process big feelings in life. We’re their guide to how to conceptualize, process…