A while has gone by now, we have been a family for years and I was trying to put myself in the position of their birth mother and tried to track her down again. So far no luck at all she seems to have fallen off the face of the earth. We did have some information about one of children’s biological father. He had willingly relinquished his parental rights because he felt he could not give Steve a good home and family. We had heard from CPS that the Steve’s biological dad had written a multi-page letter explaining why he … Continue reading →

The biological mother of our three wonderful children that we have adopted has now broken the terms of our mediation agreement two times. I have tracked her down through a little bit of research on the internet. I have called the number listed as hers and the person who answered told me that the biological mother was her children’s baby sitter. I still don’t get that but it was none of my business to inform her of who she has watching her kids. I called back later that evening when I was told that she would be returning. When she … Continue reading →

When our letter came from the biological mother and she only addressed one of the three children, and she had already broken the mediation agreement by moving and not notifying us I started doing some research to see what our legal obligations are. We were very surprised when we learned that in the state of Texas that mediation agreements are not enforceable, they are more of an honor agreement. We were not planning on stopping our end of the agreement after the first update letter but honestly I wanted to see if we had to if things continued the way … Continue reading →

My husband and I took a long time to warm up to the idea of adoption. We were scared of an outcome we saw played out on TV programs and in newspapers. We were scared that a birth parent would change her or his mind and take the child out of our arms. We had been unsuccessful at conceiving our own child and couldn’t bear the thought of a change in the plan at someone else’s hands. I’m sure we’re not alone with this fear. Birth parents reneging on adoption agreements probably does not happen as often as the media … Continue reading →

As children settle into the new school year this week, some will encounter curiosity from classmates. Younger children may be asked, “is that your real mom and dad?” If they are from a non-diverse area, they may have comments about skin color or physical features. Older children may have teachers ask if their parents speak English. One middle-schooler found that her teachers’ attitude toward her changed when they met her white mother. The teachers had assumed that the girl was an illegal alien and that they wouldn’t be able to communicate with her parents. One of our blogger’s wrote about … Continue reading →

“At least you don’t have to deal with the ‘maternity forty’!” chirped a colleague while I waiting for my third child’s arrival from Korea. Adoptive parents frequently hear comments like, “Oh, you’re doing it the easy way”. Now, having had a difficult pregnancy myself, I’m inclined to agree that MY adoption process wasn’t as difficult as my pregnancy. But I was blessed to have had the choice both to conceive and to adopt. Remember that many adoptive parents have been dealing with the grief of infertility. They often feel that their dreams of a family are at the mercy of … Continue reading →