I might never have decided to adopt had I foreseen what was to come in other areas of my life. But when I imagine life without my daughter, I know there was no other choice.
“Our Conversations About Adoption”
When the TV broke down, the questions came up—hard ones.
“Here and Now, If Not Always”
My hope, as a single foster mother, is to provide at least a temporary period of calm in a stormy childhood.
“The Birth Parent Reunion Roller Coaster”
After 26 years, I thought ‘happily ever after’ was about to begin.
“Becoming Craig’s Mother”
My younger son’s arrival signaled the end to a decade of heartache due to secondary infertility. So why was I so sad?
“The Day I Joined a Forever Family”
A 10-year-old recalls the day a foster family became a forever family for him and his sister.
“How I Discovered the Meaning of Motherhood”
It wasn’t until the birth of my daughter that I realized my son’s mother was his adoptive mother.
“Losing Touch with Birth Parents”
When my son was six years old, his birth mother closed the door on our open adoption. Were we wrong to include her in his life?
“Just a Simple Scar”
A daughter joins her family with a mysterious scar on her leg, adding another piece to the puzzle that is her young life.
“Understanding My Family’s Circles”
My traditional childhood dreams gave way to an unexpected, soul-filling reality.
“Growing Pains”
After the loss of my father, I’ve found myself — an only child and a single mom — in the middle of a new family circle.
“What an Embarrassment!”
As my daughter approaches the tween years, she’s becoming more aware of who she is and of how others see her — and me.
“Celebrating Heritage in The Wax Museum”
Breaking out of racial boundaries to create a new vision of the world and its past.
“An Imperfect Family” – Remembering My Brother Through Foster Adoption
My family couldn’t give Darrell the storybook life we’d all have liked. But with us, he learned to embrace the joy in life.
“Pushing Past an Older Child’s Barriers”
What we learned about talking about a child’s past and attaching in the present after adopting a 10-year-old from foster care.
“Jon’s (Finally) Fearless Smile”
A little boy. His new mom. What ultimately brought the two of them together? Music, sweet, sweet music.
“Someone I Will Never Know”
I had never met my child’s birth mother. Could I learn to love her?
“Our Visible, Multiracial Family”
Although my wife and I talked a great deal about race before we decided on a transracial adoption, we didn’t fully appreciate how conspicuous our family would become. Quite simply, we now stick out in a crowd.
“Digesting Her Adoption Story, a Piece at a Time”
As my daughter grows, she slowly and sweetly puts together the facts of her birth and adoption.
“A Complicated Privilege”
Was hiring someone to search for our daughter’s Guatemalan birth mother the right thing to do? We decided we had no choice but to try to meet her.