This article makes me want to look up every adoptee and every birth parent in the state of Utah and offer big hugs. Granted, not every adoptee and birth parent would want my hugs but they could have them if they wanted.

And that's the point. If they don't want a hug, then they can decline. If they do, then we both win via hugging. Right?

Utah doesn't seem to get the idea of the ability to decline hugs. Or, ya know, reunion contact.

A bill that would let adoptees find out the... more

I'd like to meet Carol Ann Orr and shake her hand. I'd like to give her a big old hug and thank her for being so dang awesome. I'd like to buy her a drink or a rose or whatever she likes best as a token of my thanks. Who is Carol Ann Orr? And why am I a fan?

She is KT Tunstall's birth mother. (KT is a singer in case you live under a rock.) And Carol Ann Orr is not being invited to her birth daughter's wedding. And she's okay with that.

I began reading this... more

Yes, it's another Juno post! I have another one coming tomorrow. I can hear your excitement. But as the general public continues to latch onto this movie, more and more people who are touched by adoption are coming out of the woodwork to talk about how this movie is making them feel.

Coming out of Cincinnati, an opinion column in The Enqiurer hits some great points. The article itself is written by a birth mother from the closed era, having placed her child in 1971.... more

As you know, expectant mothers and involved fathers considering adoption have a right to choose parents for their child based on any number of reasons. If they want their child's parents to have pink hair and live next to Sting, they can search for those specific parents. But what about mothers (and, as such, fathers) who have had their children removed? Do they have any similar right?

Gets kind of sticky there, no? (Read on before you jump in with, "OMG NO RIGHTS ALLOWED" kind of comments.)

I bring this up because of a news story... more

An update to my previous post: the ruling came down just this morning. The baby is to be removed from the adoptive parents and returned to the agency. For now, the agency plans to place the baby with the biological mother's own parents as she files her own suit to gain custody. She has filed a petition to overturn the Termination of Parental Rights (TPR). And, quite frankly, it sounds as if the TPR will... more

One of my complaints during my pregnancy was that I didn't have a lot of information. That's why I strive so hard to get information "out there" for expectant mothers considering placement. And so I come here today imploring birth parents to take a few minutes, visit this site and put up a review of your agency experience.

Adoption Agency Ratings is mostly filled with adoptive parent reviews. Some are good, some are bad. It's a great resource. But we, as birth parents, can improve upon what is already pretty awesome. By including our experience, expectant parents considering placement... more

Thursday again? That means it's time for another list of thirteen things that are related to the birth parent experience in adoption. This week I thought I would hit on thirteen comments that I'm "cool with" hearing when I share my adoption story. (You might be able to guess what I'll share next week!)

Just like every other member of the triad, birth parents have been subjected to comments that make their skin crawl. Over the years, I've found that certain comments are either less offensive or fully... more

It's been kind of doom-and-gloom up in here lately, no? Thankfully, I have a nice little reunion story to share with my readers. This one hails out of India. (Be sure to visit the article because the pictures included are beautiful.)

Minda, a nineteen-year-old adoptee, and her (adoptive) mother Catherine traveled back to India to celebrate the 25 year anniversary of the home from which she was adopted. Many other adoptees and family members traveled for the event as well. As she... more

I have always driven home the fact that 100% honesty, no matter what the cost, is needed in adoption. This goes for pre-placement matching and post-placement relationships. This story out of Nebraska proves the reasons why.

In short, an adoptive family was on a waiting list for two years when they were finally matched with an expectant mother. The expectant mother, like every other expectant mother considering placement, had a list of things that she wanted in a family for her child. One... more

Apparently it's one of those weeks when adoption is high on my radar. My feed reader and inbox seem to be filled with adoption related material. Unfortunately all of this material seems to be rubbing me the wrong way. As if we needed more proof that the general public doesn't understand adoption from any angle, comments from a celebrity and a parenting blogger just drove it home a little... more