Blasts From the Past

Starting tomorrow, and continuing over the next year, I’m going to be republishing many of my blog posts from AdoptionBlogs.com. That site, while still active and operated by adoption.com, purged a lot of their older content. I wrote for them from February 2009 to December 2010. I’m not saying these are great works or anything. … Continue reading →

Wearing Adoption on Your Shirt

Originally published by adoptionblogs.com on the Transracial/Transcultural Adoption Blog, July 17, 2009. A few days ago, a friend of mine from an online group wrote about the “Adoption Rocks!” t-shirt she was wearing. Two people came up to her and told her their positive adoption experiences, and she was very excited that her shirt had … Continue reading →

Did You Have a Point Back There?

Back in March, I wrote “Someone Is Wrong on the Internet.” Why did I do that? I’m glad you asked! I belonged to two groups about “African American” hair. On one of them (one that doesn’t have any restrictions on sharing or quoting posts) a woman asked a question. The absurdity of the question and … Continue reading →

Calling a Spade a Spade

(Originally published at AdoptionBlogs.com, Transracial / Transcultural Adoption, November 30th, 2009) At the end of October, the article “Pregnant Woman Requests All White Delivery Staff” caught my eye. After reading it, I knew I had to blog about it. Not for the content of the article – I mean, come on, Racism Exists in America, News … Continue reading →

What To Include in a “Dear Birthmother Letter”

This post was originally published on AdoptionBlogs.com on November 30, 2010. Republished here with permission. Last week, I shared what NOT to include in a “Dear Birthmother Letter.” Today, I’m going to share what you should include. Some of these ideas come from the book Reaching Out: The Guide to Writing a Terrific Dear Birthmother … Continue reading →

Book Review: Reaching Out by Nelson Handel

This post was originally published on AdoptionBlogs.com on November 10, 2010. Republished here with permission. One of my favorite adoption books is Reaching Out: The Guide to Writing a Terrific Dear Birthmother Letter, by Nelson Handel. One of the first things Handel does is explain that the term “birthmother”, as used here, is incorrect. First, … Continue reading →

What NOT To Include In a “Dear Birthmother” Letter

This post was originally published on AdoptionBlogs.com on November 9, 2010. Republished here with permission. In domestic infant adoption, typically, the prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) write a letter to expectant parents, telling them about themselves and why they want and should have a child. This letter is commonly known as the “Dear Birthmother Letter”. Today, … Continue reading →

Choosing Pictures for the Adoption Profile Scrapbook

This post was originally published on AdoptionBlogs.com on October 27, 2010. Republished here with permission. Many, many words have been written about the adoption profile scrapbook. This is the item that you give to expectant parents to present your family. Hopefully, your agency, attorney, or other adoption professional gave you some basic guidelines. The two … Continue reading →

Review: Rosie’s Family

This post was originally published on AdoptionBlogs.com on October 25, 2010. Republished here with permission. Each Adoption Day, we get Jackson a new adoption-related book. This year, I chose Rosie’s Family: An Adoption Story, by Lori Rosove. Rosie is a beagle who is adopted by schnauzers. Jackson loves dogs (and is lobbying to get one), … Continue reading →

Off and Running (Better Late Than Never)

This post was originally published on AdoptionBlogs.com on October 7, 2010. Republished here with permission. During my two weeks in New England, I recorded the PBS POV showing of Off and Running. I finally got a chance to watch it the other night. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not as well-made a film as … Continue reading →