Hopefully you participated in yesterday's game. In case you missed it, the question I asked was:

What percentage of adoptions are contested?

I also gave information to help define what contested means.

Remember that contested means that a biological parent (or other pertinent entity) attempts to legally fight the adoption based on the laws that govern their state. This could be an accusation of fraud... more

First let me say: in this game, everyone is a winner. Why? Well, there are no physical prizes. Wait! Don't walk away! Instead, everyone who plays (or, really, reads) will learn a little something! Learning is good. I try to learn something everyday, not necessarily about adoption but about life in general. So, I though I would help expand your knowledge about birth parents and their place in the adoption triad and process.

And, truth be told, I think I'll make this a weekly occurrence! Learning things each week surely can't hurt!

The preface of... more

I can count our panel at the conference as a success, I think. There were no fisticuffs between panel members or the audience, even though the topic turned to adoption language and ethical parties (always hot button topics) a few times. For the most part, people were listening and sharing (and laughing with one another, not at one another!). Even my Husband was vastly interested in what was being shared and we had a great talk over coffee afterwards. (Coffee! Without a two year old saying, "Hot!... more

As I mentioned yesterday, I'm speaking at the University of Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon. The conference, Encountering New Worlds of Adoption, actually started yesterday. However, due to a complicated pregnancy, I'll only be heading into Pittsburgh for my panel on Saturday afternoon. It helps when you're originally from the area, know how to get where you're going and have family... more

Concerned United Birthparents (CUB ) is seeking proposals for their upcoming retreat in September.

This year's retreat is being held at:

Hamburger University and Hyatt Lodge Oakbrook, Illinois Sept. 28th- 30th 2007

Hamburger University, McDonald’s beautiful 88-acre corporate campus, is an ideal setting for CUB’s annual retreat this fall. Once again, CUB invites all members of the adoption triad and their significant others to meet with others who understand... more

The Child Welfare Information Gateway website has really useful information on a variety of topics involving children. This link is specifically about kinship adoption. There info about all sorts of adoption issues is worth checking out as well.

Kinship adoption previously accounted for over half of all adoptions, but currently they are less popular. Two-fifths of adoptions are primarily private agency, kinship, or tribal adoptions.

In 1992,... more

When you are preparing to make an important decision, or preparing yourself to be able to intelligently discuss a specific topic, like adoption, there are many ways to inform and educate yourself. What a mouthful that was!

Some of the methods at our disposal to either make an adoption decision or form an opinion are:

1) Meeting and hearing the opinions of other triad members. This method is sometimes called anedotal evidence. Some call it "anedoctal evidence" as a put-down or way to dismiss other's opinions and stories... more

Still summing up the year 2006!

Except for a yearly vacation with my husband, usually around the time of our anniversary, most of my travels now revolve around visiting my sons or adoption conferences. Last year, I attended more adoption conferences than ever before and throughly enjoyed learning and mingling with other triad members.

The conferences:

1) Adoption: The Spiritual Journey for the Human Family Location: St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, New York, NY.

This conference was very special for me for a variety... more