What if my daughter doesn’t choose me? What if she grows up and moves to live near her other mom—her birth mom? I think about that and I get scared. Then I think, so what if she does? I can’t worry about that; I can only parent now.
“Front Porch Children”
Being a foster parent is not for the faint of heart. Your heart swells, loves, breaks, and heals with each placement—and it is all, every moment of it, worth it.
“We Are All Adopted”
From my own search for my roots through adopting older children from foster care, life has taught me to treasure my children’s biological connections while knowing that we don’t have to look alike to belong together.
“Logging On for Love”
Many of us wonder if the Internet is the adoption wave of the future. Here’s one family’s story.
Book Excerpt: The English American
Born in America, raised in England, and meeting her birth mother for the first time.
“For the Love of My Child”
When Elizabeth was young, closed adoption was comfortable. But my outlook changed the day my teenage daughter said, “I want to find them.”
“A Birthday Gift for Grace”
It wasn’t until my daughter’s first birthday that it hit me: I was grieving her birth mom’s loss. With that realization, I was able to celebrate as she would have wanted.
“Sweet Sand”
After a late-summer day at the beach led to wistful new questions, this mom learned that talking about adoption with her child isn’t always straightforward.
“Let’s Be Fair”
At nine, my daughter is becoming aware of the many ways in which the world is unjust, and is doing her part to promote fairness where she can.
Listen to the Children
A callous foster care system deprived her of parents and siblings and gave precious little in return.
“Living the Dream”
As my daughter grows up, a typical, American kid, we are free to imagine only happy endings for the family she left behind.
“Second Child, Second Thoughts?”
“I began to understand what Bianca was going through. She wasn’t sure she was ready for a baby sister yet. Was I?”
“Someone to Count On”
Four years ago, I legally became a mother. The adoption day was no less special because I had already been parenting Danielle for 15 months. On that day, I truly claimed my daughter. No one could take her away.
Learning to Be Mother and Son
“A lot of people didn’t believe,” Ms. Horton said. “But I believe in my child. And his therapist believed.”
“The Dog Who Came to Stay”
“Moments after bringing our new puppy home, I understood that raising this dog would begin to create a history for our new daughter, would lodge her firmly within our family. A family pet conjures notions of family ties, of belonging.”
“Sleeping Together as a Family”
At night, each of this mother’s three children wanted to be with mom.
“Winning Our Son’s Trust”
Could our loving home help this hurt, angry boy, or was it already too late?
Keeping Our Children Connected
“We visit and communicate directly with their foster family. These efforts help our sons build and sustain important relationships. They have already experienced too much loss and grief in their young lives.”
From Infertility to Adoption
“After four years of fertility treatments, a friend recommended that we attend an adoption seminar. My husband and I weren’t open to adoption, but we decided to go. The hour-and-a-half seminar changed our lives forever.”
“Becoming Mom to My Brother-in-Law’s Kids”
A noble view of adoption, with me as rescuer, had little to do with the reality of creating a family.