Does a birthmother’s right to privacy trump an adoptee’s right to their own information?
A couple weeks ago, a PR firm contacted me to see if I wanted to interview the author of a new memoir about her experience as a birthmom in a closed adoption. Her story is quite tragic: at the age of 15, the author was raped and placed her child for adoption. She asked that the adoption be closed, and hid this secret even as she later married and had other children. Despite her desire for no contact, the adoptee later searched for her and tried to develop a relationship. The birthmom refused, . . .
that’s what SHE said: moms on cell phones, boys in the classroom, adoptees and gratitude, Strom Thurmon’s secret black daughter, and more . . .
I’m A Mom Of An Ordinary Kid I’m the mom that sits at TaeKwonDo tournaments and hopes for the first place that doesn’t come. I’m the mom that’s been at soccer games and basketball games and ached inside, wishing that the sheer will of my love for this kid could make a ball float effortlessly from his foot or hand into the goal or hoop. The Boys at the Back | NYTimes.com There are some who say, well, too bad for the boys. If they are inattentive, obstreperous and distracting to their teachers . . .
“Somewhere Between” adoption documentary screening in Orange County
If you live in Orange County and have an interest in adoption, check out this documentary screening of Somewhere Between. The trailer is below. It looks like a fascinating exploration of international adoption and I’m excited to go. If you attend, please say hi! (You can sign up for tickets here. They are $10.) Thursday, February 28, 7:30pm - 9:03pm in Tustin, CA at AMC Tustin 14 In profiling Chinese adoptees in contemporary America, Linda Goldstein Knowlton's (THE WORLD ACCORDING . . .
Riding in cars with black people: An interview with adoptee Chad Goller-Sojourner
Earlier this month Chad Goller-Sojourner reached out to me about a new play he has written called “Riding in Cars With Black People and Other Newly Dangerous Acts.” It’s an autobiographical play that recounts “the story of a black boy, raised by white parents who ‘ages out’ of honorary white and suburban privilege.” As soon as I heard the premise, I knew I wanted to hear more. Chad agreed to do an interview and we had such an interesting conversation. Chad grew up as the adoptee of a white . . .
that’s what SHE said: starving children as object lessons, what adult adoptees want you to know, white racial anxiety, not talking on airplanes, and more . . .
A Primer on Full-Screen Living | zenhabits Like Jack, we think can hold two things in our mouths at once, but actually that’s a fantasy. We can’t taste the food while thinking about what we need to do later. Our mouths may be moving and the food might be swallowed, but there’s no awareness of how the food tastes. Instead, we’re switching back and forth between the planning and the tasting, like a dog going back and forth between a bone and a toy, not content to do just one thing at a . . .
parents, please educate your kids about adoption so mine don’t have to
I took the kids to the park the other day, and I was seated just close enough to the play structure that I could faintly overhear a conversation that occurred between Kembe and several older kids. At first, I had a hard time understanding what was being said, but something about Kembe’s posture caught my attention. Typically, he’s a relatively cocky over-confident kid with a lot of swagger., even around older kids. But in this setting he looked . . . almost cornered. He . . .
an open letter to circle of moms: adoptive families are not controversial
Last week, there was a bit of an internet kerfuffle over at a website called Circle of Moms. In case you aren’t familiar, Circle of Moms is a website that derives most of its traffic and influence by running contests for “Top 25 Blogger” lists. I’ve been on their lists a few times . . . though after this post I’m guessing I may not be again. Blogging contests are a common way for start-up sites to garner traffic, and it works a little something like this: Circle of Moms . . .
what I want you to know: hope and healing for attachment disorders – an interview with an adopted child and her mom
What I Want You to Know is a series of reader submissions. It is an attempt to allow people to tell their personal stories, in the hopes of bringing greater compassion to the unique issues each of us face. If you would like to submit a story to this series, click here. Today’s guest posts is by Marty. It has been so interesting to watch my daughter S transform and then watch her new brother M doing all the stick poking she used to do. (And occasionally reverts back to when she is under . . .
that’s what SHE said: motherhood and addiction, sad fish, sex after marriage, no homo promo, and more . . .
Whitney Houston, My Mother and Addiction | NYTimes.com Because society turns a blind eye to the very ugly truth: there are more than 79,000 deaths attributable to excessive alcohol consumption alone in the United States every year — about the number of fans who packed Tampa Stadium for Ms. Houston’s heralded rendition of the national anthem at Super Bowl XXV. Fifteen years ago, my mother was one of them. Sex After Marriage and Parenting | Dadding He Said: . . . If we . . .
it okay to ask if someone’s kids are adopted?
I recently had someone ask me the following on facebook, and I thought it was a good question that I would share here as well: Is it ok to ask if someone adopted, if it appears to be the case? ( example: redhead, fair skinned mom with a black little boy at the dentist the other day.) If so, is it ok to ask questions like where they are from? I am a total question asker by nature.. I love to ask questions. AND I'm interested in adoption personally. So there are times that I'd like to . . .