Belle Boggs’s The Art of Waiting sets her own struggles with infertility within a larger framework of sociological, cultural, biological, and literary attitudes toward reproduction and motherhood. In this excerpt, she explores “Baby Fever,” the longing have a child that sent many of us on our infertility and adoption journeys.
“Are Adoptive Moms Allowed to Have a Bad Day?”
After finally realizing my dream of becoming a mother, I found what most new parents find—along with the bliss come days filled with crying, spit-up, and leaking diapers. But when I dared to vent, I was chided: “You wanted to adopt…you asked for this!”
“Opting Out of IVF”
As I dove into research about in vitro fertilization, I kept waiting to be excited about this wondrous technology. But the excitement never came. When our talk turned to adoption, however, I felt the rebirth of hope.
“I’m an Adoptee and Adoptive Parent”
My daughters and I have something important in common. We share the experience of joining a family through adoption.
“When the Heart Won’t Wait”
Desperate to be with her newborn son, one mother packs up her family and heads to Guatemala to foster him.
“The Fine Print”
When the mundane tasks required for our dossier get complicated, each one we complete feels like a mini-victory—and reminds me of how much I want to be a dad.
[Book Excerpt]: Lucky Girl
In this excerpt from her memoir, Lucky Girl, Meiling Hopgood describes her initial rejection of “looking Asian” growing up in mostly-White rural Michigan, and how she learned to embrace her Chinese heritage.
“Letting the 13-Year-Old Drive”
How do you empower a child entering his teen years in a state of defeat, powerlessness, and utter self-disregard? You give him a key and tell him to take off!
“A Balanced View of Adoption”
With such a spectrum of opinions about adoption, it’s hard to know if we talk about it too much, or not enough, and in the right way. But watching my son navigate adoption comments at school reassured me of his comfort with it.
Parent-to-Parent: My Best Advice to Myself
Adoptive parents share the best adoption advice they would give themselves if they could go back five years, whether that would take them back to the adoption process or the early days of parenting.
“Loving My Daughter, A Country Apart”
I didn’t travel to meet my new daughter. But nothing could stop me from becoming Maura’s mommy.
Mother Knows Best?
Even though my husband couldn’t stay with me to foster our daughter in Guatemala, I was never short on parenting help.
Three Stories: Unexpected Birth Family Reunions
Today, as more and more adoptees reach adulthood, they are finding birth relatives-or are being found by them. Whether a child is from the U.S., Guatemala, Russia, or China, she may one day be in touch with her first family. These stories, each detailing an unexpected family reunion, may well reflect the complexity of what is ahead.
“The Perfect Season of the Heart”
A father and son find that, in the face of catastrophe, despair, and death, the antidote is life.
“How I Met My Daughters”
I may not remember when I first knew I wanted to be a mother, but the moments leading up to and the first time I saw my daughters are indelibly etched in my memory.
“Letting Go After Months of Struggling to Parent”
After struggling to parent my twin daughters for ten months, I sadly realized I couldn’t provide them with the stable life I’d envisioned.
“Dear Other Mothers…Thank You”
My greatest joy, becoming a mother, happened because both of my children lost the one person no child should have to lose.
“They Are Not Lucky; We Are All Blessed.”
As parents, we are neither selfish nor selfless, but we are surely blessed.
“My Single Mother’s Legacy”
A cry in the night reminds one mother how much families have changed and how much love stays the same.
When Shady Neighbors Come to Call
When potential neighbors were looking at the house for sale next door, this mom of a biracial child mas mainly worried they wouldn’t be friendly or would paint their house purple — until race came up.