March 07, 2016

Adoption News Roundup

Happy Monday!

Here are a few links to stories that touched us and made us think over the weekend. Not a light reading list, but a captivating one. Which stories did you settle down with this weekend?

Is homework wrecking our kids? “This is what’s worrying. Homework does have an impact on young students, but it’s not a good one. A child just beginning school deserves the chance to develop a love of learning. Instead, homework at a young age causes many kids to turn against school, future homework and academic learning. And it’s a long road. A child in kindergarten is facing 13 years of homework ahead of her.”

A birth parent’s right to privacy, vs. an adoptee’s right to know. This adoptee shares his strong personal opinion. Thoughts? “As an adoptee, I find it interesting that this is even a question. Hands down, I believe that I and all other adoptees have a right to know who our biological parents are, and it’s absurd that it’s even a question as to whether we as adoptees should be afforded the opportunity to obtain our original birth certificates and know our true identities.”

A fascinating new study reveals that the more parents discuss their emotions with their children, the bigger a difference they make in helping their child understand their own emotions and feelings. This is especially the case with children in international adoptions. “Whether from their biological parents who could not properly care for them or the lack of individual attention they encountered in an institutional setting, we know that these children did not get that crucial early emotional support. Thus, internationally adopted children can often have difficulties with reading social cues, understanding emotional perspective, demonstrating appropriate behaviors, and developing self-awareness and self-confidence. A parent’s direct interactions with his or her child and especially parental conversations with the child about feelings and emotions can have a profound effect on the child’s future.”

What’s it like to be young, single, and an adoptive mother? “I have, however, always wanted to adopt a child. I’ve always felt like it was my calling. I wanted to give a warm, loving home to a child who otherwise wouldn’t have one. I didn’t feel like I needed my child to be biologically mine. Love is love, no matter how it comes to you.”

This single adoptive father shares the heartbreaking story of his own adoption, including the deep love and pain he endured, as well as living a life with no regrets. “He was darling, but he had been turned down by about five couples,” Jones explained. “His mother was a heroin addict. When she gave birth to him, he went through withdrawal himself. And by about two years old, he knew no words at all.”