Articles
ADOPTION
Why It’s Important to Educate Yourself and Your Adopted Child About Adoption
1) Your child deserves to know the first part of their life story. Who did their big brown eyes come from? Why do they have ADHD? Where does their...
Top 10 Things to Know as an Adoptive Parent
1) You are more prepared to be a parent after going through the adoption process than being pregnant 9 months! 2) All adoption agencies are pulling...
The Waiting Game
So, you've filled out the myriads of paperwork required by your agency. You’ve survived the endless questions from your caseworker during the home...
Superman and Other Famous Adoptees
Did you know that your adopted child has a lot in common with a comic book character who dresses in a stretchy blue suit and a red cape and flies?...
Positive Adoption Language
DON’T SAY… DO SAY… your own child your birth/biological child your adopted child your child real/natural parent birth/biological parent child IS...
Learning to Use Positive Adoption Language
I am sure all of you will agree that when we talk about adoption with our children it is very important that the language we use be positive and...
ADOPTEES
Adoptees Request Original Records
According to a survey by the Washington Times, almost 15,000 adult adoptees have requested their original birth records from four states that have open records. Many adoptees are using this information in order to search for their birth parents. And the survey showed...
BOOK REVIEWS
Book Review: Yes, I’m Adopted
Yes, I’m Adopted is a great book to introduce your preschooler to the concept of adoption. Written in a rhyming verse from the child’s point of view, it takes you through the entire adoption journey in a very short amount of time. The most special part of the book is...
Book Review: The Day We Met You by Phoebe Koehler
For parents who are wondering what would be an appropriate first book to read to their child about adoption, The Day We Met You fits the bill. Written from the adoptive parents' point of view, the book expresses in very simple language what they did to prepare for...
Book Review: Tell Me Again About the Night That I Was Born By Jamie Lee Curtis
If you haven’t already done so, run, don’t walk, to the nearest book store and get a copy of Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis. This is one of the most delightful, charming and positive children’s books on adoption that has come out ln a...
Book Review: How I Was Adopted by Joanna Cole
For those of you who are looking for a simple, straightforward, but loving story about adoption, this is it. This is the story of Samantha, Sam for short, and how she came to live with her family. The thing I like most about this book is that it begins with an...
Book Review: Horace by Holly Keller
A wonderful story to add to your adoption library is Horace by Holly Keller. Horace, who is spotted, is unhappy because he does not have stripes like everyone else in his family. He cares about his family but feels different because he does not look like them. Every...
Book Review: Happy Adoption Day by John McCutcheon
Adoptive parents, you never forget the day you welcome your child into your family. It is full of incredible joy and celebration, a feeling that John McCutcheon has captured and put into a book and a song. Whether your child was adopted domestically or abroad, as an...
MOVIE REVIEWS
Movie Review: Tarzan
If you haven’t already seen Walt Disney’s movie Tarzan (1999), be sure to rent it the next time you have family movie night. This is a wonderful tale for the whole family to enjoy, but is especially poignant for adoptive families. Disney touches on many issues and...
Movie Review: Snow Dogs
When the movie Snow Dogs hit the movie theaters, I figured I would pass on going to see it. Having grown kids, I had seen enough Walt Disney movies with them to last a lifetime. But then, a friend mentioned I should check it out because it is an adoption story. So...
PARENTING
The High Cost of Parenting
Do you know how much it will cost to raise a child after you adopt? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average, inflation-adjusted cost of raising a child in the United States from birth to age 17 is approximately $310,605. Makes the cost of the...
Getting A Social Security Card for Your Child
The social security card has become an important item to obtain early in a child’s life. Whereas many of us never got a card until we had our first job in our teens or early twenties, now it is a necessity to get during a child’s first year of life. The federal...
A Child’s Advice to Parents
1. My hands are small. Please don’t expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture or throw a ball. 2. My eyes have not seen the world as you have. Please let me explore it at my own level without unnecessary restrictions. 3. Housework, office work. It’ll...
MISCELLANEOUS
Baby Names 2022
Picking a name for baby is always a challenge, but for adoptive parents it may be even more so. Most birth mothers have no problem with allowing the adoptive parents to pick, but sometimes they want to help in naming the child. If a couple has a fully open adoption...