Talking with adopted children about sensitive adoption topics may feel like a sunny Sunday stroll through a minefield. Parents may not see the explosion coming, but they sure feel its effects—and most parents scramble to do triage! But trying to pick up the pieces of an unsettling conversation is not nearly as productive as going
Continue reading »by Kelsey Stewart Every birth mother has a story that is unique. Not every woman feels the same way about what they chose to do. My journey into motherhood began over 20 years ago, and I have had many years to heal and assess what the significance of my experience has been. I have so
Continue reading »By Melissa Nilsen When I was pregnant at seventeen, I assumed for months that I would raise my baby; I would be a mom. Then after the first trimester my boyfriend became unattached to the process and to me. I thought: that’s fine, I’ll do it alone. But my teenage pregnancy was my first big
Continue reading »Historical Context of Ethiopia Adoption Ethiopia, a land of rugged beauty, is the oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world. The ancient home of the Queen of Sheba, it was left bankrupt by years of civil war. Drought, floods, famine, and disease have pushed many thousands of Ethiopian children
Continue reading »by Megan Montgomery Every few days or so we notice something in the news about the declining numbers of international adoptions, so we decided to examine it and truly believe the decline can’t be narrowed down to any single factor. However, over the past few years international adoption agencies have closed their doors or their
Continue reading »by Megan Montgomery Adoption STAR is full of good resources for you to start your research to determine if International Adoption is a good fit for your family and we are happy to answer questions along the way. At first International Adoption might seem overwhelming, but if you are already considering adoption, you might find
Continue reading »by Megan Montgomery Webinars are a great way to fit a little extra learning into your day. I love to sign up for webinars related to adoption to enhance my understanding of adoption related issues and learn more about the critical things families are struggling with. Plus I do not even have to leave the
Continue reading »by Megan Montgomery Being realistic… This is a hurry up and wait kind of game. You control what you can at the start of the process but, once your documents are collected, your home study written and finalized, I800A approval received and dossier submitted, you are just waiting. But, there is more to waiting than
Continue reading »by Megan Montgomery It is virtually impossible to offer a nurturing environment that meets the needs of each individual child within an orphanage. No orphanage can provide the same quality care that a family could. With that said each orphanage will be different, orphanages have varying levels of financial support, staff dedication and additional resources.
Continue reading »by Megan Montgomery It is common for children who have been adopted (in particular at an older age and through International Adoption) to display a developmental age different from their chronological age. A child’s chronological age is their age based on their date of birth. Their developmental age is the age at which they function
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