April 21, 2017

Link Roundup

It’s Friday!

Time to read something wonderful. Here’s a roundup of our favorites from across the web this week.

10 emotions you’ll feel as you make an adoption plan for your baby. “Some mornings you’ll wake up in a state of total despair, wondering how you ever got yourself into this mess. While other days you’ll be seized with feelings of joy, hope and optimism, knowing that you’ll be giving your child the future you want her to have, even if it isn’t with you.These emotions are just the tip of the iceberg. When it comes to creating an adoption plan, every expectant mother experiences it—and deals with it—in her own way.”

Why films like “Boss Baby” can be painful for adoptees and foster kids. “It may be true that the best way to watch a kids’ movie is by sitting next to a kid. It’s equally true how easily and often one can be shocked at how insensitive the movies can be about childhood impermanence, while sitting next to a kid in foster care. (I know one pretty well.) The 2014 remake ‘Annie’ is often cited as being among the weakest recent portrayals of foster care or adoption, with its nightmare foster parents, incompetent social-services system and an adoptive parent who comes and goes.”

The realities of raising a kid of a different race. This amazing piece dispels four common myths, shares five lessons learned the hard way, and provides valuable resources for parents raising a child of a different race, including books and films.

“We planned to adopt a toddler, but ended up with a 17 year-old.”

Why loving your child through their trauma isn’t enough. “Depending on our love, alone, puts an unfair burden on our shoulders. You and I were never meant to fight through this alone. Love must be the blanket that you wrap around your child’s entire journey. Within the blanket of love, there’s you, your spouse or partner, the resources you have available to you, and this precious child.”

What does it feel like to adopt a child after finding out you’re infertile?