Adoption Stories

Yours. Mine. Ours.
by Meredith Resnick, L.C.S.W.

The Other Mother - Who Is She?

The social worker stood by a dry erase board. The first thing she said was: "This is the seminar that scares people." This, the state-mandated bonding and attachment seminar.

She wrote the word bonding on the board and drew a circle around it. Through the circle she drew a fat X. Read More

Is Ambivalence Normal?

The writer Jane Lazarre, author of The Mother Knot and Beyond the Whiteness of Whiteness, Memoir of a White Mother of Black Sons said: The only thing that seems eternal and natural in motherhood is ambivalence. Read More

Q: Adoption as an Adjective? A: Yes--and No.

Should variations of the word adopt-adopted, adoptive, adoptable, adoption-be used as an adjective?

For some topics people don't mind. For example: Here is my adoption paperwork. No problem. But what about:This is my adopted child. Meet my adoptive mom, dad, sis, bro. A problem? Not sure? Read More

Does It Have to be Foster-Adopt or Nothing?

I'm often asked why we didn't adopt here at home. Read More

What's Worse--Infertile or Insensitive?

It's no secret.

That I hope adoption becomes a first choice for more people. But that doesn't mean it will. Or should. Or that I don't understand the pain and disappointment women experience when they really, really want to get pregnant and can't, or don't. Adoption is not for everyone and there's nothing wrong with that. There's also nothing wrong with longing to give birth. Read More

The Greening of Adoption: Should Madonna Support Little Girl?

A judge in Malawi has blocked Madonna from adopting. Read More

Madonna: What is official is not necessarily true

Little more than one day after Adoption Stories' reader Shannon, commented about child stealing for my previous blog post, "Hear the collective sigh? Madonna's adopting," a judge postponed the adoption in Malawi. Global media outlets report that the child's grandmother said Madonna was stealing her granddaughter. Read More

Hear the collective sigh? Madonna’s adopting again.

Madonna is headed to Malawi for a second adoption (see links below) and you know what? I'm thinking we need celebrity adoptions more than ever.

Many people are disgusted by the attention celebrities get for adopting. They cite the special privileges stars receive, and balk at the money they throw to grease the wheels. Read More

Octomom: Bad for Adoption, Too?

It was bound to happen so I'm trying to look at the bright side. Maybe all the publicity the so-called Octomom is generating might do a little something for the institution of adoption. Read More

I never thought about adopting a child to save her

Even some professionals who said they specialized in older child adoption tried to steer us away from adopting an older child. Read More

If motherhood is a sorority, I am its wayward pledge

We'd been married almost five years when my husband and I started telling people we were going to adopt someone older. Many squirmed upon hearing the "A" word. Tack on "child" and the sweating started. Not that they didn't support the "A" word - they did - in theory. Read More

My Real-World Adopt

I didn't long for a baby who melted into me, who captured my hair between her soft fingers. I longed to be the type of woman who did.

It seemed as though this trait were woven into my biology as much as the fair skin and curly hair. As a child I played with dolls, but didn't fantasize about a real baby I could love, or dream of pregnancy the way some girls do. Read More

Meredith Resnick, L.C.S.W.

Meredith Resnick, L.C.S.W., is a health writer and licensed social worker. She is also the mother of two adopted daughters.

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