An article on birth mothers called, "They never forgot", takes another look at the women forced to surrender babies in the years of the "conspiracy of silence" that followed the end of WWII.

Many women who gave up babies fought depression, developed traumatic stress disorders or turned to alcohol and drugs to numb their chronic grief. Others became super-achievers to prove to their parents that they could have been a fine mother. Some spoke regretfully of how they remained emotionally distant from the children they later had. Others never had another child because they... more

Word from the Adoption.com forums has it that it's now taking over three months to renew passports in the US, so reminders are out that anyone considering International Adoption should take this on board and plan accordingly. Name changes are reported to be taking the longest to process.

With valid passports necessary in the very early stages of the process, having your official docs ducks in line will make a big difference on how long an adoption will take.

Following... more

Looking to meet up with other adoptive families for a day of fun?

An organization called Adoptive Families and Friends, located in Western Maryland, is holding a social get together at Idlewild and SoakZone, located in Ligonier Pennsylvania, on July 15, 2007.

Adoptive Families and Friends is composed of families who have adopted their children from the foster care system, internationally, parents who are matched with a child but still... more

This is continued from the previous post, where I've been writing about a brouhaha presently taking place in Internet adoption-related places.

A combination of factors has resulted in me being barred from International Adopt Talk. First, apparently, I became persona non grata because I pointed to this post from last week where I addressed the issue of blatant misrepresentation being used to entangle international adoption in the sticky, stinky web of human trafficking in response... more

I've been debating whether or not to get into detailing a big virtual fist-to-cuffs that's taking place in the adoption community right now. If you're not already knee deep in it, you may want to stay well clear, as it's getting nasty, but if you're willing to wade around in doo-doo for a bit, you'll learn a lot.

Many of us would blush at some of the filthy names that are being thrown around as personal attacks go into full swing ... 'swing' as in 'punches', few of which have seen any attempt at pulling ... and aspersions cast against everything from suspected sexual preference to schooling.

Hoping that she'll forgive me for noticing, I'll mention that ... more

Some reports out of India have me reeling today ... reeling and despairing for humanity, or what little of that there often is.

This story is one of the worst I've read in a very long time, but so very unfortunately not one bit special or unique, simply not often recounted.

A two-day old baby girl was found buried alive in a farmer's field in rural India. The farmer discovered her when her tiny hand stuck up out of the dirt. She'd never been fed. Her mother's father has confessed to trying to kill her.

"I am yet to marry off four daughters and cannot take responsibility... more

A little late to the table on this one, I've just been sent info on the American Express Member Project, and it's not too late to participate in the voting, even if the time has passed for nominations.

This project is for American Express members, and it takes only a registration click or two to contribute a dollar to the winning idea ... up to a possible $5 million.

More than 7,000 ideas were submitted, and the top fifty are impressive and run the gamut from... more

The news comes from all over today, so we might as well start with this report from Sri Lanka ... an update on tsunami orphans.

Touting life in a children's home as the cause of making a child happy, the comparison to post-disaster placement with an aunt who beat her regularly does make it sound like an improvement.

Now receiving psycho-social support through programs provided by organizations like UNICEF and the Christian Children's Fund, the girl says:

"I am glad to be alive. I was scared to speak out for almost two years but I'm not afraid... more

Continuing on adoption reform hero Dr. Elizabeth Bartholet from here.

In discussing real reform in the adoption world, I chose "Educate Others" as the second step. Although I do what I can through this blog and others, it's people like Dr. Elizabeth Bartholet that lead the charge, making a huge difference... more

Continuing the series on adoption reform that appears on this blog sporadically, today's post features a look a someone who does so much more to make a difference for the positive than simply wag fingers in vaguely accusatory directions and slap the same old, tired links all over the place in an effort to make tiny bits... more