(Please remember that this is just a piece of my definition of adoption. For my full definition of what adoption is, you can read this whole series of posts here.)

As I have been working to define adoption, it has become clear that adoption is a lot of things. Sometimes the things that "adoption is" are even contradictory. For example it true that "adoption is love" and yet it is also true that "adoption is a business".

Adoption is complicated. It is... more

So far in my definition of adoption I have said that adoption is life changing, adoption is hope, adoption is expensive and adoption is a business. All of these are pieces of my own personal definition of adoption, which I am going to continue to build on throughout November... more

(Please remember that this is just a piece of my definition of adoption. For my full definition of what adoption is, you can read this whole series of posts here.)

Adoption is life changing.

To say that something is life changing is some what cliche, but in this case, it is also very true. Adoption IS life changing. It permanently alters the lives of all involved, whether they are birth parents, adoptive parents or the children being adopted.

Children who often had little hope for their futures, have hope for much because of adoption.

Parents who want children have a way to build their... more

(Please remember that this is just a piece of my definition of adoption. For my full definition of what adoption is, you can read this whole series of posts here.)

Adoption is hope. It is hope for a better future and a better life for a child.

We often hear about how loss is a big part of adoption. It is true that any child available for adoption has experienced loss. He has been separated from his birth mother and family. He has lost his first home. In international adoption, the child has lost his country and culture of birth. Children from foster care (and children adopted internationally) have often... more

In my last post, I stated that adoption is a business, as part of my definition of adoption. Remember that each of these posts are just a tiny piece of my definition of adoption, and to get the big picture, you need to read the entire series. :)

To add to yesterday's post, I am going to say that adoption is expensive. It is an unfortunate reality. I remember back when I first started thinking about adopting. My husband had had a vasectomy... more

Today I am going to start to give a more detailed definition of what adoption is to me. Remember that this is just a tiny piece of my definition of adoption, and to get the big picture, you need to read this entire category.

For starters, adoption is a business.

I start with that, because it is something that a lot of adoptive parents seem to not be aware of, especially when they are first starting out on their adoption journeys.

It is easy, when you first start looking into adoption,... more

Hopefully all of my readers are aware of the fun giveaway I am holding for National Adoption Month thanks to Curls. If you haven't participated yet, please make sure you visit that post and leave a comment.

To participate in the giveaway I am asking readers to define adoption. As I have said, depending on your place in the adoption triad and your own personal experience with adoption, these personal definitions can vary greatly.

Originally I planned on sharing... more

Unlike the last article I wrote about, which I think did a good job of taking a real look at some of the complexities, ethics, emotions and issues surrounding international and transracial adoption, this article, titled "Foreign Orphans Better Than Our Own", is total nonsense (in my not so humble opinion).

I get satire. I get sarcasm. I have a pretty dang good sense of humor, if I do say so myself. But to me, this article is poorly written, and was written for seemingly no other reason than to stir up emotions and... more

I hate titles like the one this article has, "Did I Steal My Daughter? The Tribulations of Global Adoptions".

But, despite the sensational title, I think this is a pretty decent article.

The article is written by an adoptive mother, who, along with her husband, adopted a baby girl from Guatemala. The article goes through the family's emotions and thoughts before their daughter joined them, their thoughts and experiences during the placement and then their emotions, thoughts and developing concerns once they brought their daughter home.

Do adoptive families have the... more

Not knowing how old your child is can be a stressful thing for adoptive parents. Some parents know before their child arrives that the child's given age is a "best guess" (and could therefor be inaccurate) and some people discover upon placement that the age they were given for their child is off big time. I traveled with a family to Ethiopia last year who thought that they were adopting a toddler and a preschooler, and got to Addis and received two children who were years older.... more