What The Hague Is This Convention About?

Posted by on December 5, 2011 No comments
During the '80s, UNICEF promoted the belief that international adoption was "creating serious and complex human and legal problems and the absence of existing domestic and international legal instruments indicated the need for a multilateral approach." In 1989, UNICEF began work on the Convention. It was approved by the UN in May 1993. President Clinton signed it in 1994. Congress ratified it in 2000 and the law (Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000) implementing it went into effect in April 2008. Overview When an adoption occurs between two countries who have ratified and implementing the mandates of the Convention (I call those Convention countries), they must adhered to the Convention in accord with the laws of the respective countries. A major advantage of a Convention country is that it Read more [...]

Build Better Connections With Your Foster Kids

Posted by on November 24, 2011 No comments
Being a foster parent is a demanding and rewarding job. You take vulnerable, delicate, and often sad and hurting children into your home and try your best to provide them with the love, security, and support they need to have a chance for a better life, a life that is characterized by the aforementioned values. But foster children may also harbor a lot of anger, sadness, and resentment, and thus it is not always easy for the foster kids and foster families to get along. If you are or are thinking about becoming a foster parent, here are a few tips to keep in mind that allow you to build better connections with your foster kid(s): Develop strong communication skills: Communication is what keeps a family going, and healthy communication means being able to express both good and bad feelings Read more [...]

Adoption Agencies In Michigan

Posted by on November 8, 2011 No comments
Anyone wishing to adopt should consider adoption agencies in Michigan. Before deciding on a specific agency, make certain that it is registered with MARE, which is the Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange. MARE supplies recommendations to licensed agencies within the state. Most adoption agencies have more than one location within the state that can accommodate infant, domestic, international and special needs adoptions. Before visiting your selected adoption agency, you should first decide if you prefer an infant or an older child to share your home with as well as your love. There are several adoption agencies in Michigan. The following list constitutes the many options that are available within the state. Some are larger than others and some specialize in different types of adoptions. Read more [...]

Some Thoughts On Orphans

Posted by on October 20, 2011 No comments
Recently I came across Plant A Flower Day. While thinking of flowers my thoughts went to orphans. I began thinking about orphans, their parents, and those who take care of them. What kind of parents are these who leave their child on the steps of an orphanage and that too an infant. The infant who needs mothers love is dropped on the steps, in the hope that the infant will cry, someone will listen and come and pick up the infant. What can be a more brutal act than this? Mother is compared to God. Who do I compare such mothers with? I have had close interactions with an orphanage in India. When I began asking for the list of food items that they need for the infants, I was given a list of food that the infant should rightfully get from mother. Nature never imagined that the infant will be thrown Read more [...]

Five Adoption Fees to Understand

Posted by on October 19, 2011 No comments
Over the years many people have asked me why adoption is so expensive. Though I have to agree that there are some agencies that seem to be more "out to make a buck" than doing any kind of community service to help children, I do understand some of the costs involved. Here are five fee expenses to understand. One word of warning, explore these suggestions before signing any contract. Once locked into a contract, these suggestions can help but can't save you from working with a greedy agency. First, all agencies have separate fees for everything within the adoption situation itself but not all agencies tell you what those are. For example, when one agency says that an adoption will cost $25,000 and another says its $20,000 plus $5,000 for addition counseling and paperwork, the fees could actually Read more [...]

Five Adoption Fees to Understand

Posted by on October 16, 2011 No comments
Over the years many people have asked me why adoption is so expensive. Though I have to agree that there are some agencies that seem to be more "out to make a buck" than doing any kind of community service to help children, I do understand some of the costs involved. Here are five fee expenses to understand. One word of warning, explore these suggestions before signing any contract. Once locked into a contract, these suggestions can help but can't save you from working with a greedy agency. First, all agencies have separate fees for everything within the adoption situation itself but not all agencies tell you what those are. For example, when one agency says that an adoption will cost $25,000 and another says its $20,000 plus $5,000 for addition counseling and paperwork, the fees could actually Read more [...]

The Woes of Adoption: The Birth Mother’s View

Posted by on October 13, 2011 No comments
When most people think of adoption, they think one of two ways. One, how lucky is the family that is getting this beautiful new baby, and two, it must have been really hard for the birth mother to make that difficult decision. Being a birth mother who made the decision to put my child up for adoption, I can tell you that it's not always a difficult decision. Sometimes, it's the easiest decision you can make. When a woman or couple is faced with the dilemma of an unwanted pregnancy, there are a few different options. This isn't about telling you what you should or shouldn't do, this is about what I chose to do. A decision that was deeply personal, but one that was inevitable. A Bit Of Background I was nineteen years old, still a child by most of society's standards. I found myself in an all Read more [...]

Behavioral and Emotional Needs (children)

Posted by on October 12, 2011 No comments
In the United States, the month of May is designated as National Foster Care Month. Children who enter the Foster Care System are typically victims of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment. At the time of the January 2011 Children's Defense Fund report, there were 418, 422 fostered children in the United States. Additionally, according to the Child Welfare League of America, 30 to 85 % of children in foster care have behavioral and emotional needs. Although the percentage is high, there are therapeutic interventions to address the behavioral and emotional needs of fostered children. Foster and Adoptive parents constantly seek ways to meet the behavioral and emotional needs of fostered children. Experiences of such magnitude can create behaviors such as: -Lying -Stealing -Bedwetting -Physical Read more [...]

How Neglected and Abused Children Become Successful, Resilient Adults

Posted by on September 19, 2011 No comments
It seems unlikely we shall ever resolve the forever debate about the relative influence of our genetic inheritance versus our environment. The pendulum of the debate seems to swing back and forth through the decades as new information becomes available to us. Lately, it seems, the score is even at 50/50. But I have often wondered why we limit the discussion to environment and heredity. Isn't there a third or X factor? I mean, heredity and environment are certainly the major influences in our lives. But are we, as individuals, no more than the sum of our genes and environment? Are we not actors in our own lives? Our genetic inheritance does set limits. We can't all be Bachs or Einsteins. Environmental influences, on the other hand, provide the opportunities for development within those Read more [...]

How to Get Ready to Adopt a Baby

Posted by on September 14, 2011 No comments
You may start with important questions initially in baby adoption such as is it important for you or for your spouse to adopt a baby who will share your ethnic or racial background, or would you both adopt US kids or from other region. It may also go this way whether you may contact international adoption agencies or domestic infant adoption is better to serve your choice. The question goes unending. You may start with important questions initially in baby adoption such as is it important for you or for your spouse to adopt a baby who will share your ethnic or racial background, or would you both adopt US kids or from other region. It may also go this way whether you may contact international agencies or domestic infant adoption is better to serve your choice. The question goes unending. The Read more [...]