I have been writing about how we experienced many unexpected emotions on our trip to adopt our son, Ben, from Ethiopia.

Another emotion that we were not prepared for before our trip to Ethiopia was that of love for the culture and people of Ethiopia, and personal dedication to giving back and trying to make even a small difference in a place we came to love in a very short time. It sounds very cliche to say that our trip was life-changing, and yet it was. Both Josh and I returned home from Ethiopia with the knowledge that we would return, and that we would have a life-long involvement... more

To wrap up writing about Ben and his adoption process, and what it was like for us as adoptive parents, I have to write some about our trip.

Getting a new, almost six-year old son is an emotional, overwhelming, amazing, life-changing event. However, traveling to Africa for the first time and experiencing all that is Ethiopia for the first time is also an emotional, overwhelming, amazing, life-changing event. When you put the two together, you are setting yourself up for one heck of a ride.

The... more

In my last post I started writing about how many transracial adoptive parents who choose to adopt internationally get questioned by others as to "why" they did not adopt from the U.S. and "take care of their own". Usually these questions about why parents would adopt a child from another country when there are children waiting in the U.S., is full of judgment and negativity.

I know many an international adoptive parent who has been asked this question by family members, friends and total strangers, so today I am going to write about how to answer it.

In my last post I wrote about some... more

In my last post, I shared our experience in choosing to adopt domestically after two international adoptions.

We found both international and domestic adoption to be a wonderful way to expand our family, and also found each type of adoption to have its own set of benefits and challenges.

Here are some of the differences we found and experienced when comparing our international adoptions and our domestic infant adoption.

- There was much less paperwork with our domestic adoption, and we did not have to deal with (or pay for) immigration.

- While preparing our family... more

I have one more article I wanted to share before I jump back into finishing my Transracial Adoption ABCs.

If you are involved at all in the Ethiopian adoption community, you have likely heard some of the discussions regarding the much-anticipated New York Times article on Ethiopian adoptions. There has been a lot of speculation by adoptive parents and agencies on yahoo groups and adoption forums, in regards to what the article would cover and how it would portray Ethiopian... more

For families that choose international transracial adoption, there are many ways to minimize the risks involved. Here are some tips on how to do that.

-As I say over and over on this blog, research, research, research. Make yourself an expert on the adoption program you choose. Know the adoption laws of your state, your country and the laws of the country you are hoping to adopt from. Speak to multiple agencies and compare waiting times, fees, the process for getting a referral, travel requirements, etc. These things can vary greatly!!

-Talk to other parents who have adopted... more

Now that we have looked at some of the benefits of international transracial adoption, I am now going to discuss some of the risks.

-Many adoptive parents worry about the health risks associated with adopting internationally. Many countries that allow Americans to adopt children do not have medical care equivalent to what we have available, and children can and sometimes do come home with significant undiagnosed health concerns. Minor issues, such as lice, scabies, parasites, etc. are also common in international adoptees.

-The actual age of the child can often be unknown, and... more

Since I have recently discussed the benefits and risks of domestic infant adoption and gave tips on reducing your domestic transracial adoption risks, I am now going to talk about the same topics in regards to international transracial adoption. (Please... more

There was an interesting comment left on this post from Jen, the mom of two boys and one little girl adopted domestically.(Thanks Jen, for commenting!)

You can read the whole comment here, but basically, Jen was sharing her feelings that it makes her uncomfortable when parents will only consider international adoption, because she feels like they are sending the message that there is something wrong with the kids available for adoption in the U.S. She also said that she feels... more

In my last two posts, I have written about two articles courtesy of the Salt Lake Tribune on international and transracial adoption. The first article discussed a variety of topics related to international adoption, including the “search for identity” by adopted children, and the second article was written by an adult adoptee from India who shared her feelings on not “belonging” in either the U.S. or in India.

The article I am going to write about today is from the same series, and is titled, ... more