What’s The Best Gift You Can Give A Birthmother?

Now that the holidays are almost here, you’re scrambling to find the perfect last-minute gift for everyone on your list.

There’s your brother who hates presents of any kind, your sister-in-law who never has a nice thing to say about you, and the cousin that you haven’t seen in years.

But this year there’s a new family member on your list: your child’s birthmother.

What do you give someone who has given you the gift of parenthood? A piece of jewelry? A photo of your baby? A framed handprint?

They’re all nice gestures and your child’s birthmother will certainly appreciate them. But as good as they are, they’re not the best. Continue reading →

Waiting To Adopt? The One Question I Guarantee You’ll Be Asked This Week

I’ve never been very good at making predictions. When it comes to foreseeing the future, I usually leave that for others to figure out.

But if you’re waiting to adopt, I can promise you that this week somewhere, some day, someone will ask you THE question that every waiting parent fears, and eventually hears, over the holidays, if it hasn’t happened already:

“How many children do you have?”

It could happen when you’re dropping in at a neighbor’s party. Or at a friend’s. Or at a family dinner. But trust me, it will happen.

For most people, it’s no big deal. Just a normal question, right up there with “What’s your name?” and “What do you do?” But if you’re waiting to adopt after struggling to build your family, that little question could ruin your day, if not your entire holiday.

I remember the first time I encountered it. It was a disaster. I froze, got flustered and couldn’t wait to flee the room.

Hopefully, with these tips, you won’t have to go through the same experience. Continue reading →

When The Holidays Arrive, But The Baby Doesn’t: Tips For Waiting Parents

The holidays are almost here. But while other people are excited and looking forward to their arrival with breathless anticipation, you’re dreading them and looking back.

To this time last year, to be exact.

Remember how powerless you felt as you watched others celebrate the season with their children?

Remember how you felt like you were missing out on something special? That everyone else was having a great time except you? Continue reading →

What Is Adoption? 30 Different Ways To Look At It

It’s hard to explain what adoption is to people who have never experienced it.

And it’s equally hard to explain it to those who have.

No matter who you speak to, whether it be an adoptive parent, a family hoping to adopt, a birthparent or an adoptee, everyone has a different way of looking at it.

If you visited our Facebook page last month, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

To mark National Adoption Awareness Month, we asked our Fans to complete the phrase “Adoption is…”

And they did. Did they ever. Continue reading →

Our Facebook Community Shares Its Adoption Fears, Hopes And Dreams

Everyone’s adoption experience is different.

And so last month, as we do every year during National Adoption Month as part a series called “30 Days 30 Questions,” we wanted to find out what kind of experience you’ve had.

Every day for 30 days we posted a different question on our Facebook page that tapped into your innermost thoughts and feelings.

What do you think is the biggest misconceptions about adoption? What was your biggest fear? What was the turning point in your journey? How has adoption changed your life and the way that you look at the world?

We got a ton of great responses — from all members of the adoption triad: adoptive parents, waiting adoptive parents, birthparents, and adoptees.

You can check them out on our page now. But since they’re going to be hard to find down the road, I’ve collected some of the highlights and posted them here. Continue reading →