Search Results for: blog older child adoption blessing or nightmare

Adoption in the Little House TV Series, Season Seven

My last blogs have talked about adoption storylines in “Little House on the Prairie”, the 1970s TV series that still airs in reruns several times a day. You can access the first blog in the series by clicking here. In season seven’s “Silent Cry”, a couple considers adopting two brothers, but they are concerned that the younger son’s refusal to speak means more than they can handle, so the orphanage agrees to allow only the older one to be adopted. The two boys run away to the School for the Blind which the Ingalls’ friends and family run. Their new … Continue reading →

Adoption in TV’s Little House on the Prairie, Season Two

My last blogs have talked about adoption storylines in the Little House on the Prairie book series and television series. This blog and the next will mention specific episodes containing adoption-related issues, so that parents can be aware of them and be prepared to discuss them with their children. In the second season, the two-part episode “Remember Me” is about a dying widow who is trying to find a new family for her children to join after her death. The children are stood at the front of the church while the widow simply explains her situation and that people should … Continue reading →

National Adoption Month 2008

National Adoption Month is bringing a permanent home to approximately 3, 500 foster children in the U.S. this year. National Adoption Month awareness activities are credited with helping more than 20,000 children find homes in the past nine years. President Bush has proclaimed November to be National Adoption Month. His proclamation urged Americans to celebrate adoptive families in general and in particular, to consider how to find homes for the country’s foster children. This year, adoption agencies have put a special emphasis on adopting older children and teens from foster care. Some suggestions various parent groups and agencies have for … Continue reading →

Month in Review: June 2008 Adoption Blogs

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I kicked off the month by attending a Cultural Fair with exchange students and au pairs. In my blog Celebrating ALL Cultures, I assert that celebrating all cultures makes our kids believe we truly accept diversity and aren’t just accepting them because they are our kids. I talk about some of the history of adoption with Proxy Adoptions. This means adoptions where the prospective parents didn’t meet their children first. In the past this sometimes meant there was little in the way of a homestudy or any education for the adopting family. Today a homestudy is always done, and while … Continue reading →

Older Child Adoption – Blessing or Nightmare?

When talking to people who have adopted older children, it seems that you almost always hear stories from two opposite ends of the spectrum. There are the families who say that their adoption of an older child is nothing but a nightmare, that it ruined their family and that their child will never function normally in a family setting. Then you talk to the those on the other side who say that their adoption of an older child has been a breeze. Everything went smoothly, they’ve had no problems, the child is a joy. Is it possible that both experiences … Continue reading →

Rituals and Ceremonies For Adoptive Families

Adoptive parents are a diverse group. On average they are slightly higher income than the general population and have a slightly higher average educational level than the general populace. They come from all religious persuasions and from none. For those adoptive parents who practice a religion, that religion can be a bonding force for their new family. Families who do not practice a religion may nonetheless seek a special ritual or celebration to mark the arrival of a child and various milestones in the adoption process and in the family’s life. Some families have entrustment ceremonies when birthparents place an … Continue reading →

Book Review: The Heart Knows Something Different

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The Heart Knows Something Different is an anthology of writings by teenagers in foster care. These articles were originally published in a bimonthly magazine called Foster Care Youth United. They are an excellent resource for people adopting older children, since they may give a feel for the kinds of situations and feelings many older children experience prior to the adoption. Their stories are also of import to all citizens concerned about the next generation in our country. Many of these youth, though not all, are from New York City. Some of them were with foster families, although many were in … Continue reading →