The holidays can be stressful enough, but can be especially hard for parents waiting to adopt a baby. For many among us, including those waiting and hoping to become parents, the holiday season does not lead to automatic cheer, joy or peace. The season, with its emphasis on children and family, can bring loneliness and … Continued
By Tara Noone, MSW Naming a baby is so elemental and so often the first mark of parenthood—of course people have really big feelings about it. At Adoption Connection’s Preparation for Adoption workshops, few topics set people wanting to be parents more on edge than the naming question… Whose “right” is it to name this … Continued
By Rachel Herndon, LCSW Everything is going smoothly. The birth family and adoptive family are communicating about the birth, ongoing contact, and even baby names! And then suddenly there’s an unintended hiccup, tears are shed by both families, and there is confusion and hurt feelings. Can the adoption be saved? Even in adoptions where there is … Continued
By Tara Noone, MSW You’ve written out your answers to a thousand intrusive questions during your adoption homestudy. You’ve submitted your fingerprints, seen your doctor, put up the extra smoke detectors, and swept up all the dust bunnies in a panic before the homestudy caseworker arrives. You’ve presented your finances for scrutiny and started an … Continued
By Shankari Arcot November is National Adoption Month. Let’s all take a few minutes to educate ourselves better about adoption. Your baby looks just like you!! We know you mean well, but really, we are not as beautiful as our little fellow. He makes our family look beautiful. Where is his real mother?? Seriously, we … Continued
By Tara Noone, MSW Adoptive families raising small children right now are fortunate to have access to a wide variety of children’s books about adoption. Book’s such as A Mother for Choco, Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born and A Tale of Two Daddies, as well as many others, cover a wide … Continued
By Leah Sheldon Your Adoption Parent Profile is done, and you’ve decided to include a personal cell phone number so that an expectant mother can call you directly. Instead of getting a phone call, you hear a “ping” on your phone and receive an SMS message: “Hi! Are you still looking for a baby?” At … Continued
Creating meaningful ritual in open adoption By Leah Sheldon Rituals have always been used to signify a change or rite of passage, or to mark a transition in the life of a person or community. Although they are often interwoven with religious traditions, rituals can be anything that symbolizes and celebrates a life change. We … Continued
Written by Lynne Fingerman, MSW I recently got this email from a 24 year-old woman who was placed with her adoptive parents at birth and it made my day! Hello Lynne, My name is Susanna * and back in 1989 you were the one who was in charge of my adoption. You placed me with … Continued
By Nina Anderson, LCSW In open adoption in California, birth parents and adopting parents have an opportunity to create a future contact agreement that will define the type of contact that the birth parents will have with their child and the adopting parents. These formal post-adoption agreements, sometimes called kinship agreements, are formalized in writing … Continued