Pam Connell's comments

Charity and the Preschooler - Blog Entry

29 Sep 2008 09:11 PM

My kids were very confused when we met up with a friend of mine whose name happens to be Charity! (And she's not poor and certainly doesn't need their toys, either!)

Charity and the Preschooler - Blog Entry

29 Sep 2008 09:10 PM

I've started putting toys in a container in MY bedroom closet for a month before giving them away. If someone does ask where Baby Laughing Doll is, I can "find" her. If no one notices in a month that the toy isn't in the playroom anymore, out it goes.

This way I won't accidentally throw away a stuffed toy that I don't see my daughter play with much, but that she plays with in the top bunk bed every night so I never see how important it is to her.

Things We Wish We'd Done While Waiting - Blog Entry

23 Sep 2008 04:13 PM

The Hague Convention is a bit more complicated than that. All adoptions between two countries that have joined the Hague Convention must be done in accordance with the Convention--basically a treaty agreeing on standards for international adoptions and a designated authority in each country to oversee them.

However, adoptions between countries that are not members of the Hague Convention, such as South Korea and Ethiopia, continue as before, here in the U.S. at least.

South Korea has had orderly adoption procedures for decades and has often been looked to as a model for countries implementing their own programs. The South Korean government delegates authority to arrange international adoptions to four nonprofit social welfare agencies. Apparently the South Korean government has decided that they already have safe and efficient practices and therefore they do not need to join the Hague Convention, which would establish one central government authority to regulate adoptions and accredit adoption agencies.

Some of the biggest concerns U.S. adoptive parents have had regarding the Hague are the stoppage of programs with countries that are members of Hague but have not adhered to all its standards. This was a problem with Guatemala earlier this year.

Things We Wish We'd Done While Waiting - Blog Entry

23 Sep 2008 02:51 PM

Paitence--when "Turtle" referred to a "second parent adoption", this means a stepparent legally adopting their spouse's prior children--whom they have usually been living with already. So it's really a very different process.

You are right that I would be suspicious of anyone who promised to find a child for a family, get them home and complete the paperwork in 3-4 months!

Another Time for Letting Go - Blog Entry

05 Sep 2008 01:13 PM

Thanks--I did much the same thing--when I was in Korea I was allowed to take a picture of another baby in an incubator at the hospital where my daughter was born.

Book Review: Tell Me a Real Adoption Story! - Blog Entry

03 Sep 2008 06:12 PM

You just made my day! Thanks!

Book Review: Voices from Another Place - Blog Entry

02 Sep 2008 01:13 PM

You're right that adoption is so different for every adoptee and family (meaning both birth and adoptive families). For me, rewarding is definitely an understatement--my girls are so amazing!

A Mother's View from the Pool-Bikinis on Babies? - Blog Entry

28 Aug 2008 12:32 PM

I just had an idea--maybe I should tell my daughter I will buy her one bikini in her lifetime; would she like it to be now or later? I'm sure she would choose it right away--then in a few years when she actually has something to cover up I can say, "Sorry, you've used up your bikini allotment!"

Think it will work?

Also I want to sing the praises of the "tankinis" which came out a couple of years ago. They are two pieces but the top covers almost all the stomach, giving the coverage of a one-piece but much easier for parents and little ones to get on and off!

A Mother's View from the Pool-Bikinis on Babies? - Blog Entry

28 Aug 2008 12:28 PM

My pet peeve is how hard it's getting to find nice shoes for my eight-year-old that don't have heels on them!

"To Secure the Blessings of Liberty to Ourselves and Our Posterity" - Blog Entry

18 Aug 2008 05:24 PM

You're very welcome for the information--please keep reading and let us know how your story turns out!