e-mail
2006 is about to wrap up. I’ve only been blogging here on AdoptionBlogs since October but I’ve found my own little niche. With that, as I make plans for topics to cover in the first half of the year, I come to ask my readers what kinds of things they would like to see. (And don’t any of you dare say “only positive stuff” or “more big-bad stuff.”)
I’ve got adoptive parents, birth parents and adoptees who read this blog. I have some relatives who have not adopted or placed but are attached to the triad by someone else in their family. And others. What do you want to read? Learn about? Be inundated with?
I have some tenative series in the works for 2007. I am starting to work on a series about birth parents who go on (or continue) to parent other children after placement. It has been a big issue for me in the past year and, as I’ve found out, remains an issue for birth mothers and birth fathers across the board. Obviously, on varying levels. I plan on getting the surveys completed by the middle of January and hope to launch the series in that last week.
I have a few other ideas floating around my head but, as you are my readers, I come to ask your opinions on what you’d like to see more of in this blog. Obviously, I am going to continue with the Love Thursday meme/series. It’s a bright spot in my week as I hope it is in yours. I will also continue to bring you news articles and other timely, relevant news regarding adoption and birth parents. I had originally wanted to start a blog post of the week but, as the holidays neared and then over took us all, it got pushed to the back burner? Would you like to see a featured post by a birth parent blogger from places other than AdoptionBlogs? I would also have to ask for your participation on this one to alert me of important, pertinent or amazing blog entries by birth parents on any given week as I can’t possibly cover the whole internet on my own ten fingers!
I think that perhaps in the next year, I should commit my personal adoption journey to words in this blog. I’ve done it in bits and pieces in various entries so that readers can understand where I’m coming from but never in a chronological order with the little details that make a story a story. Honestly, even though I’ve blogged and journaled about the Munchkin’s placement for three years now, I don’t know that I’ve ever truly “written” about the subject. Instead, I’ve mostly just detailed it for the reading masses. Interesting project at hand right there.
And so, I leave you with the question: what would you like to read about this year? What do you want to/need to learn about regarding birth parents? Open adoption? Birth parents in open adoption? Grief? Guilt? Loss? Shame? Depression? Therapy? Do’s and Don’ts? Etc? Give me your ideas. Share your desire to learn with me.
And we’ll see where 2007 can take us!
How has it affected your relationships with your immediate family–mother, father, siblings?
Oh good one, Heather. Definitely.
i want to know more about your adoption ‘journey’. specifically, if you’re willing and able to share, how the openness evolved since you didn’t want openness in the beginning. how did a’s aparents approach you with it and why, etc. i find it a very interesting dynamic.
maybe also (even though i know your personal experience hasn’t involved this aspect) write about how to open an adoption that’s been closed by the first parents
but anything you write, i read.
I think it would be interesting for you to write a month-to-month account of what feelings and emotions a firstmother goes through before during and after placement. Usually all humans have a specific grief/loss pattern that they follow emotionally for whatever is lost (believe me, I went through it with even losing my kidneys). I think it would be a good thing for especially adoptive parents to read, and maybe firstparents would also see that they aren’t alone. Plus I think it would give validation to these emotions, especially if someone is having a hard time healing.
On a side note, adoptive parents go through these same stages for different reasons, which I know sometimes firstparents don’t realize (just like adoptive parents don’t realize firstparents feel this way.) So maybe a few comparisons along the way to tie it all together?
Hi Jenna – Those topics you have written out are very good and look forward to reading them! Some suggestions might be (if you are able to answer) how a.parents deal with b.parents being present (maybe J or D would be willing to write a few posts about that?). I look forward to Love Thursday so I’m glad you are keeping up with that. Would love to hear more about your “story” that is called your life. Again, don’t know if it’s relevent but I know you touched on in a bit about a.parents going on to have more children. How does it affect the child, do they feel not as “special” b/c of a new biological baby? Or do they not comprehend that issue. Is the munchkin too young to realize that her brother N. is not adopted like her? Does it matter to her? To other kids? I just love the personal aspect you bring to this blog. I love when you are able to open up and explain how you are really feeling deep down (the bad, the good and the ugly). I don’t think you are “too positive” or “too negitive”, you are you! And this “story” is YOUR “story” and you are free to share it however pretty it is! I like reading your blog!
I am very interested in your planned series about birthparents going on to parent other children. Our 4 yr old’s first mom just welcomed her son in August & yesterday we got the news our youngest child’s first mom is due in May! This has also been a very different experience than with our oldest who has three older bio sibs.
What ever topics you find I am sure they will be interesting.
Have a Happy New Year!
I like all of the topics you propose. I am most interested in the one about birth/adoptive parents in open adoption. I might add adoptees to that as well. The more data collected on the experiences of people on all sides of the triad in open adoption, the more realistic picture society will have of it; the more we can predict and be prepared for potential problems. Currently, we approach open adoption with little more than our assumptions, fears, opinions rather than real information. I think this perpetuates the unfortunate prejudice against it.
I am also interested in the proposed series about birthparents going on to parent other children. This has certainly posed challenges for me and would guess for many others, too.