About.com Adoption / Foster Care

Saturday Is National Adoption Day

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:07:50 +0000

November 21, 2009, marks the 10th year for National Adoption Day. Through the help of adoption professionals, child advocates, judges, and attorneys, thousands of children in foster care will finalize their adoptions and become part of a permanent home and family. The goals for this National Adoption Day include:

Finalize adoptions from foster care in all 50 states
Celebrate and honor all families that adopt
Raise awareness about the 129,000 children in foster care waiting for adoption
Encourage others to adopt children from foster care
Build collaboration among local adoption agencies, courts and advocacy organizations

I hope that this National Adoption Day is as successful as the year before. Don't forget to spread the good news with an awesome adoption announcement!

How are you celebrating National Adoption Day?

Saturday Is National Adoption Day originally appeared on About.com Adoption / Foster Care on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 21:07:50.

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The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute Releases Latest Study on Adoption & Culture

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:49:06 +0000

The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute has released the results of a new study regarding interracial adoption. Beyond Culture Camp: Promoting Healthy Identity Formation in Adoption findings may surprise you. Then again - maybe they won't.

The report focused on two-parent, White adoptions of 179 South Korean adoptees and the 156 Caucasian adoptees out of the 468 adopted adults that completed surveys.

I found this report extremely fascinating because of the experiences we've had with culture and adoption. My sister was adopted into a bi-racial home - White/Hispanic. She told me that growing up she assumed that she too was bi-racial. That is the culture she identified with best. She thought that upon meeting her birth family she would discover that she was bi-racial. Nope. To my knowledge, Caucasian only. I wonder how that impacted her identity or did the adoption reunion itself fill in the needed pieces because now - she no longer has to guess or assume?

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The Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute Releases Latest Study on Adoption & Culture originally appeared on About.com Adoption / Foster Care on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 23:49:06.

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Angelina Jolie to Adopt from Syria

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:42:04 +0000

Ever have those feelings when you just know something is missing, but you don't know what that something is? I've been feeling that way lately, I keep wandering around, rummaging through drawers, blankly staring at the TV. But I think I've finally figured out what was missing. We haven't heard anything about Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt adding to their family. Angelina Jolie hasn't added to her family through adoption since completing the adoption of little Pax from Vietnam in 2007. And she hasn't given birth since the twins joined the Jolie-Pitt crew in July 12, 2008. Well, guess what - she is adopting again! This time Angelina Jolie is looking to adopt a little girl from the Asian country of Syria and her partner, Brad Pitt's name is not on the adoption paperwork. Some are saying this means that Brad Pitt is against the adoption. I think some people have forgotten that Angelina adopted Pax singly as it went against Vietnam law for an unmarried couple to adopt a child. Pitt then adopted Pax once he got home. This could very well be the case with this latest adoption.

Congrats to the family! I'm looking forward to reading more about the new addition to the Jolie-Pitt family.

SOURCES:
Report: Jolie to adopt again
ANGELINA JOLIE - JOLIE TO ADOPT AGAIN - REPORT

Angelina Jolie to Adopt from Syria originally appeared on About.com Adoption / Foster Care on Thursday, November 12th, 2009 at 17:42:04.

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RegDay Is this Saturday

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:16 +0000

The International Soundex Reunion Registry (ISRR) was developed with the idea of providing a means for families that have been separated due to divorce, adoption, or foster care to reunite. ISRR is a mutual consent adoption registry, meaning that for the registry to work, each adult (18 and over), has to have registered with ISRR in order for a match to be made. Many volunteers and visitors to the booths share their touching stories of adoption reunion or the pain of a fruitless adoption search.

RegDay or Adoption Registration Day is an annual one day event to increase public awareness of the International Soundex Reunion Registry. RegDay will be held on November 14, 2009 this year and is in need of more volunteers in established sites as well as for volunteers willing to coordinate new sites.

If you were involved with RegDay in the past, please leave a comment below and share your story!

One RegDay volunteer shares the following:

"One young woman(an adoptee) - late twenties I think - came in with her boyfriend - took the form to register and got some info about searching as well. She was quite soft-spoken and articulate. Said she had wonderful parents, did not have to know about her past, but, felt somehow it was part of her essence as to who she was. Said that she felt if she did not search, on her death bed, she would regret it.

Our event touches a few people very dramatically, but, we need to find ways to bring in more people - especially those birth moms still in their safe cocoons as I was until over 3 years ago. Many of them have children who are signing up, but, Soundex only works if both parties register. The fear of the unknown paralyzes many of us though - that's why those of us who are reunited work tirelessly to de-mystify search and reunion for people. We know what a difference reunion has made in our lives."

RegDay Is this Saturday originally appeared on About.com Adoption / Foster Care on Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 at 06:00:16.

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Happy Adoption Anniversary Boys!

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:47:21 +0000

Yes, seven years ago today, my husband, myself, and our daughter finalized the foster care adoption of our 3 boys. We fostered them for two years before facing a judge in Wichita, KS to make it all official. It's funny that we finalized in November during National Adoption Month, but back then I didn't even realize it was National Adoption Month. Many families plan for it to occur in November just for that reason, but we just fell into it.

Parenting three teen boys with high emotional and behavioral needs was no picnic in the park. But we did learn a lot from our time together as a family and I believe we are all better people for the experience. Every trial they face is still yet another growing and learning opportunity for us.

We have never made our adoption anniversary a big deal - more of a, "hey, do you remember what today is?" type of thing. Some families go all out and it becomes another holiday. What is your adoption finalization day to you and your family?

How do you celebrate your adoption anniversaries? Is it a special day in your home, or does it just become like any other day?

Suggested Reading:
How To Complete a Foster Care Adoption

Happy Adoption Anniversary Boys! originally appeared on About.com Adoption / Foster Care on Thursday, November 5th, 2009 at 18:47:21.

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Trampolines and the Culture of a Fostering Family

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:55:03 +0000

Thanks to a high school friend, I was given the opportunity to speak to her class this morning about the culture of foster care. It was a small group of college students in an entry level social work class about marriage and family.

We talked about family as a system and a bit about different cultural clues that we can observe in those around us. I then presented the concept that when a family decides to become a foster family, the family must blend their own culture, the foster child's culture, as well as the culture of the foster care system. The foster family takes on a completely new culture that is a diverse mixture of ideas and values that they have artfully combined - all while not giving up their core beliefs. It can be exhausting.

The class asked me a few questions about my experiences, but got off track a bit when they questioned a certain regulation. In our area, foster families are not allowed to have trampolines and foster children are not supposed to jump on trampolines. This seemed to completely trip the class out. "How can foster children expect to have normal childhood experiences if they can't jump on a trampoline."

Welcome to the foster care system. Oh, and I had a great time sharing with the class!

Perhaps the class would like to add this to the list of things they'd like to change about the foster care system?

Suggested Reading:
If I Could Change the Foster Care System I Would...
Great Foster Parents Understand the Importance of Culture and Lifebooks
Learning About the Culture of Foster Care - Foster Care Alumni of America's Community Art Project

Trampolines and the Culture of a Fostering Family originally appeared on About.com Adoption / Foster Care on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009 at 23:55:03.

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Tangled Hearts

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

Written by adoptive mother Patti Bongiorno, Tangled Hearts tells the story of a fictional adoption that reflects reality with Bongiorno's strong characterization and insight into the adoption triad.

Not only is Tangled Hearts perfect reading this month for National Adoption Month, but the Tangled Hearts necklace is a perfect gift this holiday season!

Tangled Heart Pendant - Image used with permission from Bongiorno Books

Tangled Hearts originally appeared on About.com Adoption / Foster Care on Sunday, November 1st, 2009 at 00:00:00.

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They Grow Up so Fast and the Halloween Candy Goes with Them

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:00:12 +0000

I'll admit it, I'm a little bit sad this Halloween. I don't have a little one to get ready for a school Halloween party. I don't have a little one to help figure out a Halloween costume. To top it all off, my daughter is a big middle schooler now and thinks that this year just might be her last year to go trick-or-treating! And where will I get my free candy from next year?

So, all you parents out there, helping your children get ready to go to school all dressed up in their scariest or cutest this morning or for trick-or-treating Halloween night, enjoy. I'll probably be at home most of the evening - digging through my daughter's last Halloween haul, with tears in my eyes and a few Snickers and Reese's in my fists.

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Suggested Reading:
Preparing Foster Children and Newly Adopted Children for Halloween - Some children don't know basic trick-or-treating safety rules.
Last Minute Halloween Costume Ideas for Late October Foster Care Placements

They Grow Up so Fast and the Halloween Candy Goes with Them originally appeared on About.com Adoption / Foster Care on Friday, October 30th, 2009 at 05:00:12.

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Thrifty Thursday - Use a Binder and Free Printable Worksheets to Organize Foster Care Documentation

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:53:27 +0000

Most homes with children have a few used 3-ring binders laying around, left over from various school projects.� These binders are often in pretty good shape too. By utilizing one of these binders, a few tabbed dividers, and these free printable worksheets, a foster parent can get a jump on organization for pennies.

Find the step-by-step instructions on creating a binder for foster care records here.
Find the free printable worksheets to use in keeping foster care records and documentation here.

Follow the About.com Parenting & Family's Thrifty Thursday:

Thrifty Thursday - Use a Binder and Free Printable Worksheets to Organize Foster Care Documentation originally appeared on About.com Adoption / Foster Care on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 08:53:27.

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Madonna Visiting Malawi with her Children

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:55:39 +0000

Madonna is in the headlines again, this time traveling to Malawi for the groundbreaking at her charity's new school for girls - Raising Malawi Academy for Girls. All four of Madonna's children accompanied her on the trip, which included a visit to the orphanage that David lived in before his 2008 adoption. 4-year-old David and his siblings, Lourdes, Rocco and Mercy, even got to see the crib where he slept. What a great opportunity for the whole family. I hope this is a trip that Madonna will help David and her children document in their lifebooks.

Madonna adopted David and Mercy from Malawi among much controversy due to the minimum residency law that is required of foreigners wishing to adopt from the country.

This does give Madonna and family an awesome opportunity to really add something special to her children's lifebooks - especially if they paused to take a picture of David with his old crib. What are some of your favorite lifebook tips or ideas? Click here and share your ideas.

SOURCES
Madonna and son visit his Malawi orphanage - The Associated Press
Madonna visiting Malawi to launch school - CNN.com

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