by Michele Fried I remember countless stories of expectant parents I met with over the years who cried at the thought of sharing with their parent or parents that they were pregnant. It had nothing to do with their age. I sat with young teens and women in their forties who just were frightened or
Continue reading »Monthly Archives: "September 2014"
Children Learn From Parents’ Messages
by Michele Fried The adoptive mother of a Caucasian little boy sent me a note recently, “The moment for me that really brought home the idea of “adoption as a melting pot” was when I was at the agency picnic and overheard two big tough dads– both Caucasian– discussing hair tips for their African American
Continue reading »When and How to Discuss Adoption with Children Already in the Home
by Michele Fried When: When to tell a child already in the home that you are planning to adopt is an answer you will need to decide on your own. This is very personal and it also depends on the age and development of your child(ren) at home as well as their personalities. There are
Continue reading »Eighteen Years Later: An Adoption Story
by Michele Fried Our adoption journey was one filled with great ups and downs. The first potential match fell through before it came to be when I surprised my husband at our celebration dinner at our favorite restaurant by saying I did not want to be matched with this pregnant woman. Why? I remember quite
Continue reading »Going through the Adoption Process
by Michele Fried Many pregnant women considering adoption (expectant parents) wonder what the process is like for prospective adoptive parents. For many aspiring parents, adoption is one of the first things that comes to mind. However, there are other methods of starting your own family. For example, surrogacy is becoming increasingly popular in Kiev, Ukraine,
Continue reading »Choosing To Go To Holland
by Michele Fried “Welcome to Holland,” was written by Emily Pearl Kingsley many years ago in an effort to assist people who have learned the child they are parenting has a disability. Though the poem focused on the topic of coming to view raising a child with a disability in a new light, the adapted
Continue reading »When Your Child’s Birth Mother Is Pregnant Again
by Michele Fried In June of 1990 my husband and I learned that our oldest son had a half biological sibling that was being placed for adoption. We experienced a great deal of emotions learning of the news and making the life altering decision to grow our family when we were not planning for another
Continue reading »Bonding and Adoptive Parenthood
by Michele Fried Bonding is an intense attachment that develops between parents and their baby. It makes parents shower their baby with love and affection. Scientists are fascinated by bonding and know that bonding is essential for babies. What is neat to learn is that an infant is ready to bond immediately. Parents, on the
Continue reading »Surrogacy Decision Discussed
by Michele Fried I feel it is important to stay up to date on current topics in the news related to adoption and all related to it. Employees and clients of Adoption STAR often share articles with each other to keep abreast of these topics. I am sure you have seen us blog about many
Continue reading »Muslim and Adoption
by Michele Fried Years ago I sat across a couple describing their desire to become parents and the losses they experienced in their attempt to have a child biologically. I watched as slowly the husband moved his hand to touch the hand of his wife while she tried to hold back tears. I remember being
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