If breastfeeding had been easy in the past, adoptive breastfeeding couldn’t be so different, or less rewarding, could it? More or less.
“Do Fan Dances and Tea Ceremonies Really Teach Us Anything?”
The museum view of culture and heritage ignores the realities of life as a racial minority. But there is a middle ground.
“Pulling Back in Open Adoption”
After a bump in the relationship with our daughter’s birth mother, we’re learning lessons about love, patience, and acceptance.
“The Girls of Summer”
I want my active daughter to know it’s OK to play sports and be physically strong. I’m just not the best example of that athletic ideal.
“I Want the Same Hubbub That Surrounds Pregnancy!”
When I announced our adoption plans, I hoped for the same kind of excitement that pregnant women get. After all, the happiness we’re expecting is the same.
“Teaching My Children That Black Is Beautiful”
I tell my African-American children that they are smart and beautiful because I know that the world may tell them otherwise.
“Loving My Children’s ‘Ingredients'” – Nature vs. Nurture
Parenting children with different DNA opened up new worlds for me. Loving who they are means parenting their DNA and not my own agenda.
“What We Wish We Had Known” – Older Child Adoption
A mom and her daughter share lessons learned about older child adoption.
A Meeting of the Open Minds
Two adoptive moms and a birth mother candidly discuss the adoption match, birth siblings, contact agreements, and more.
“Getting Past Working-Mom Guilt”
A new mother learns that she can go back to work and still retain the title of “Mom.”
“I Was Afraid to Adopt. I Was Afraid Not to Adopt.”
“It’s hard to believe how reluctant I once was to adopt. In hindsight, I can see how much I needed this all along.” — Dennis Kneale
“Two Very Different Paths to Attachment”
Our kids both came to us at 20 months old, but bonding with each child required very different tactics.
“Moving Past a Miscommunication in Our Open Adoption”
14 years into our open adoption, we’ve learned that conflicts can occur, as in any family. Here’s how we moved past one sticky situation when our son’s birth mother sent him a check in the mail.
“The Other Mother”
A birth mom and an adoptive mom delve into the complex — and surprising — realities of their open adoptions.
“Too Many Questions”
When you and your child look different, the world wants to know why.
“Worth the Risk” – Living Through a Failed Adoption
Our failed adoption left our hearts shattered. But, as we learned, you take this risk no matter how you come to be parents, whenever you choose to love someone or something other than yourself.
A ‘Lost’ Daughter Speaks, and All of China Listens
I went to China to find the birth mother who left me on a street corner. Instead, I became the focus of a nation’s buried pain.
[Book Review] No Matter What
Sally Donovan’s memoir is an honest portrayal of the challenges of adopting from foster care.
[Book Review] Flip the Script
Lost Daughters, a collaborative writing project focused on female adoptees, has added another gem to their collection.
“Bringing Him Home”
The medical report faxed to us said our son could “speak in full sentences” and proclaimed him healthy. So who was this eerily quiet toddler on the exam table?