Search Results for: blog reflections on adoption

Book Review: Weaving a Family Untangling Race and Adoption

Barbara Katz Rothman is a sociologist. Much of her work has focused on the meaning of motherhood—ranging from studies of the modern midwifery movement, to the consumer pressure to buy for one’s offspring, to the Human Genome Project and the impact of genetics on identity and culture. These two interests– what it means to be a mother and what genes have to do with identity–merged when Rothman and her husband adopted an African-American infant. Rothman’s book Weaving a Family: Untangling Race and Adoption shares her insights, both professional and personal, on transracial adoption. Rothman’s title is inspired by the experience … Continue reading →

Top Twelve Adoption Books of 2008 Part Two: Nonfiction

This blog is the second part of my “Top Twelve” of the books I’ve reviewed this year. My last blog reviewed picture books, including three from my Adoption Books with Great Art series, and also fictional offerings for pre-teens and early teens. This blog is on my favorite nonfiction about adoption. The Adoption Guide 2008 stands out as a compact yet comprehensive resource. It contains articles on infant adoption, international adoption, and foster-adoption. It has a summary of adoption trends and current regulations for twelve countries, a state-by-state listing of agencies and attorneys, guides for choosing an agency and/or attorney, … Continue reading →

Book Review: The Adoption Decision

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The Adoption Decision, by Linda Christianson, is not a how-to manual for adopting. He book’s subtitle, 15 Things You Want to Know Before Adopting, only hints at the insight contained within its pages. This book doesn’t just tell you 15 facts about adoption. Its 15 chapters deal with issues families who contemplate adoption must think about. The issues include: attachment and feeling like a “real” parent, affording adoption, managing the grief of infertility, waiting for an unknown length of time during the adoption process, birthparents, open adoption, adopting an older child, international adoption, transracial adoption, integrating a different culture into … Continue reading →

What Would You Like to See in the Adoption Blog This Next Year?

What Would You Like to See in the Adoption Blog This Next Year? This blog will be a little different. I’m asking for comments from you, my readers. What has been helpful to you in the adoption blog this year? What would you like to see more of? More personal experience and reflections? More informational blogs? I, for one, would like to see more comments by readers, both in the blog comments and in the forums. The forums are a great tool to ask questions which I can then address in blogs. As many of you know, I have two … Continue reading →

Weaving God’s Love Across Cultures: Transracial Adoption and Faith (Book Review)

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When the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America committed to exploring strategies for ministry to different ethnic groups, a group of adoptive parents and adoptees saw an opportunity to educate faith communities about adoption and provide resources to help families connect their adoption experiences with spiritual issues. Interested Christians of several denominations and ethnicities gathered in Seattle in the fall of 2002 to share ideas. The result was the book Weaving God’s Love Across Cultures: Transracial Adoption and Faith, edited by Rev. Mary Lindberg, containing contributions by adoptive parents, teen and adult adoptees, clergy, social workers and even a Korean birthmother. … Continue reading →

Books for Adults on Adoption from China and Korea

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I recently published a series of blogs on children’s books dealing with adoption, including books specifically featuring kids adopted from different countries. Here, I will present books for adults on adoption from China and Korea. Many are memoirs which tell of adoptive families’ experiences. Others are memoirs of adoptees and even of birthmothers and an adoption worker. Others are serious looks at the topics of preserving heritage and the reasons children are available for adoption. Books for adults on Korean adoption: A Single Square Picture tells the story of a girl adopted at age 7 who returns to search for … Continue reading →

Birth Family and Entitlement in State Adoptions

I just wanted to touch on some thoughts I had relating to birth family, entitlement and communication. These are mostly things I wanted to get off my chest, but I hope someone who needs to hear them will have a better understanding of one adoptive mother’s perspective anyway. Allowing Contact with Birth Family Most parents I know would agree there is often a sense of loyalty within family—even within birth family. Whether or not this is true in any specific case, it’s because of this many adoptive parents are leery to allow much contact—if any, fearing some information, out of … Continue reading →

Attitudes Regarding State Adoptions: Part 1

The following is a list of attitudes and misconceptions people have about adoption usually prior to their placement. I don’t intend to discourage anyone, but it’s important for families to be realistic in expectation. Children aren’t puppies, they’re children! ~ There is nothing wrong with wanting to adopt and know you are giving your child a good home. It’s okay for you to feel good about what you’re doing. But if you’re going to have the attitude that you are “rescuing” this child, you are doing your family a great injustice. It gives implication to the child that they owe … Continue reading →

Things I Wish I was Told about Adoption

I’m not only going to share the things that I wish I was told about adoption prior to doing it, but the things I’m glad I was told as well. Keep in mind this list pertains primarily to state adoptions: • Whether you give birth, or adopt, if you haven’t met the child prior, you really never know what you will get in regard to special needs. • The process of waiting and emotional ups and downs will better prepare you for the road ahead. • Get involved with a support group! Being in one ourselves, my husband and I … Continue reading →

Reflections on Adoption

Had someone told me one day I would grow up, meet a nice man who I’d marry, would willingly go through state adoption; that our children would be born to mothers who were unstable and our kids would have challenges likely as a result, I would have told them they were crazy! Years ago I believed that the only people who adopted were those who couldn’t have children of their “own”. I’m not sure if going through pregnancy and childbirth is harder than adoption. I can’t even say for sure that love for a child who’s been adopted is different … Continue reading →