Adoption

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November is National Adoption Awareness Month in the United States. The Child Welfare Information Gateway writes that this year’s theme is adopting teens:

November is National Adoption Month, a month set aside to raise awareness about the adoption of children from foster care. This year’s theme of adopting teens from foster care builds on the Ad Council’s new public service announcement (PSA) campaign of the Children’s Bureau, the Adoption Exchange Association, and The Collaboration to Adopt US Kids.

Christopher Alexander writes that November is National Adoption Awareness Month:

In 1990, November was proclaimed as National Adoption Month. This was seen as an opportunity to raise public awareness about adoption and to acknowledge the importance of adoption in our society. It was also a way to help make people aware of the staggering numbers of children needing permanent placements.

He also comments on some recent articles about relinquishment, “parents who have adopted a child, only to change their mind long after the placement was finalized, usually because the child exhibited significant behavior problems.”

Several studies have shown that adopted children, as a whole, do present higher rates of behavior and emotional problems than the general population. This should not come as a surprise, given that many of these children suffered severe trauma and disruptions to aspects of their developmental attachment in the first few years of their lives.

. . .

Fortunately, the success stories are much greater than the ones that typically make it into print. Every year, many children . . . find permanent homes. Emotionally, academically and behaviorally, they thrive as they finally know what it means to be safe, loved and wanted. To me, this is the topic we should be addressing and celebrating. [There are] many professionals and agencies which are highly trained in working with adopted children and their families.

MapMuse has begun to put together a really nifty interactive map of adoption agencies in the US, which allows you to locate adoption agencies close to you. They already have over 3000 agencies listed and are adding more continuously. It looks like this tool could prove to be a really useful resource.

Jacob Wheeler writes at Worldpress of Guatemalan adoption. He explains why Guatemala is such a popular country for adoption, and describes the problems and corruption that surround Guatemalan adoption. But most riveting are the several accounts of Guatemalan adoption that he relates.

This is a well-written and moving article. Mr. Wheeler effectively creates a sense of empathy for the Guatemalan people, adoptive parents, and adopted children.

I won’t quote it; you should read the whole thing.

Fox News reports on the growing number of adoption scams, especially ones that take advantage of the opportunities provided by the internet.

Internet adoptions have gained some momentum in recent years. Birth mothers who want to put their child up for adoption and couples looking for a child to adopt can search for one another on different websites, and the results can be easier, cheaper and faster than a traditional adoption agency.

Unfortunately, adoption websites have also been a target for con artists. . . . The schemes are varied, but always end with broken hearts for the adoptive parents. Some of these criminals promise their unborn child to more than one couple, while some just pretend to be pregnant. All have one goal in mind: extort as much money as possible from trusting couples who desperately want a baby.

The author strongly encourages adopting parents to seek legal advice from an adoption attorney, and details some of the many benefits and assurances that an adoption attorney can provide.

Laura Christianson reports that Working Mother magazine has released its report of the 100 most family friendly companies, including an analysis of those that offer benefits related to adoption, such as adoption leave, adoption assistance, and infertility treatment.

Kevin Mattson reviews Adam Pertman’s book Adoption Nation: How the Adoption Revolution Is Transforming America. He has much good to say about recent trends in adoption practices, especially towards openness and honesty with adopted children, including in many cases the practice of open adoption:

Greater openness for adoptees means an upbringing rooted in self-knowledge and truth rather than equivocation or deception; for birth parents, it helps diminish angst and permits grieving, and therefore increases their comfort levels with their decisions; and for adoptive parents, it eases personal insecurities while establishing a steady stream of information for their children and for making critical parenting decisions (based, for example, on the birth family’s medical history).

He also discusses other issues Pertman addresses, such as necessary changes to adoption law, ways that transracial adoption is helping our country to grow in overcoming entrenched racism, and the problem of the cost of adoption.

Mattson recommends this book with the caveat that Pertman doesn’t sufficiently answer all of the important questions that he raises:

Though he doesn’t come up with all the answers to tough questions, Pertman at the least poses them. For anyone interested in adoption (especially those considering adoption), this is an important book to read. Policy makers who need a brief, readable introduction to adoption would do well by picking it up. They won’t find solutions but will be introduced to the ways in which adoption is changing America.

The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute announced the 2006 Angels in Adoption™ awards. The 2006 recipients are:

• Daunte Culpepper
• Invisible Children
• Darryl DMC McDaniels

Family News writes about the selection of Invisible Children:

The group produced a shocking documentary about children in Uganda who were kidnapped and forced to fight in a bloody civil war. Jason Russell thinks its doing some good.

“Because of our awareness campaign throughout the United States, there has been a much greater interest in adopting children in Uganda.”

Nancy Norman writes of her experience adopting an older son from Russia. While she and her husband love her son, they were dramatically unprepared for the challenges of adopting an older child, particularly one from Russia. She cautions parents, not to reconsider adoption, but to enter it with as much information as possible, and with realistic expectations.

We’ve learned that the realities can be much different [from all the happy stories they heard]. Yes, our son has added immensely to our lives. We get such great joy watching him grow and experience new things. But along with the joy, we have also experienced difficulties due to behavioral and attachment issues, scholastic struggles and costs for tests and treatment.

. . .

I believe this lack of information has hurt us as a family. Knowing what problems we were likely to encounter would not have changed our minds or dimmed our love for our son. It would have given us greater understanding and empathy for the difficulties he faced in adjusting to his new life.

If we had been better prepared, we would have recognized sooner that our son needed special help. There would have been less anger, disappointment and frustration for all three of us, allowing us to focus more on creating and celebrating the joys of becoming a family.