May 26, 2015

Adoption News Roundup

What a wonderful long weekend! We hope it was absolutely glorious wherever you were, and that you were able to spend much-needed time relaxing with family, enjoying the season and basking in the glow of these warmer months.

Lots of beautiful, informative, and powerful stories circulating the web this week. Here are some of the few that caught our eye:

Did you know that June 19 is National Attachment Trauma Awareness Day? This is new to us, and we’re so glad to see light being shed on such an important issue. From their website: “National Attachment Trauma Awareness Day [is] organized by the Attachment & Trauma Network. Volunteers across the country will be coming together on this day to shine a light on the plight of the millions of American children suffering from attachment trauma. By raising awareness of this often overlooked epidemic, NATA Day hopes to bring Attachment Trauma out of the shadows so that families struggling to help heal their traumatized children get the help they need.” Visit their site to find out more ways you can contribute and spread awareness!

Explaining racism to our children is something we should all feel compelled to do, but it’s an especially important discussion for transracial parents, or parents to children of any race subject to stereotyping and racism. This father shares his experience talking to his children about why some people may fear them because of the color of their skin.

We’re obsessed with this couple who are spreading the news about their adoption in pretty much the best way ever.

We talk a lot about adopting children who come with unique disorders or backgrounds that have been particularly traumatic. But in this gender-fluid age, where we are continually enlightened to the reality that not all things are black and white, we truly appreciate this article from adoptive parents who chose to adopt a son with ambiguous genitalia, a sexual development disorder. Their journey sheds light on the ways in which we discuss sex, gender, and sexuality with our children. This little boy is so blessed to be raised by such open, caring, broad-minded parents.

The love of a birth mother.

We’re sure so many of you can relate to this perspective from an “Expectant-Adoptive Mom.” “I am a stay-at-home mom, so I field all the calls from the agency about expectant mothers who are considering adoption plans. During our homestudy we indicated that we were open in terms of race, physical needs, and circumstances, thus, we enjoy many “profiling opportunities.” Once we accept, the expectant mother is shown our profile, along with those of eight or nine other hopeful couples. We have never been chosen.”

Happy week, dear friends. Look for our the newest edition of our newsletter, which will be out in the next week or so!