Our Blog

This guest post is by Michelle Thorne, a birthmother and author. Adoption awareness is such an important and daunting task. When my daughter began school in China, she developed a friendship with our neighbor’s son, who was also in her class. One day, he came to me to tattle on her. “Cadence is lying!” It was in a sing-song voice that let me know this was not his first time tattling. “She is? What about?” I asked him. “She said

This guest post is by Deanna Kahler, an adoptive mother and author. Do you believe in fate or destiny? Have you ever felt led to a certain path? Many adoptive parents will tell you they believe their child was meant to be with them, that they were guided to adoption — often years before they realized it. I’m convinced this was the case with me. Here’s why.  My family and I are planning to move, so naturally I’ve been cleaning

This guest post is by Alana Redmond, a legal content writer. An open adoption is a very special opportunity for a child to grow up in a network of love and support from both parents. The holidays are an even more important time to spend with loved ones and share memories that will last a lifetime. Every open adoption is different so it’s important to consider a few factors before jumping full-swing into the holiday season. 

This guest post is by Paige Knipfer, an adoptive mother and adoption consultant. For 29 years, I lived in a blissfully comfortable color-blind bubble of ignorance and denial. I knew racism existed in this country but never around me. Not in my family or my friends. Not in my community.  I was wrong on so many levels. When we adopted our daughter the first question I was asked by some family members was “What color or race is she?”  I was

This guest post is by Paige Knipfer, an adoptive mother and adoption consultant. I’ve been extremely passionate about adoption since we adopted our daughter years ago. I started to write articles and went through political training to advocate for improvements. I felt I wasn’t making a dent or doing enough. If you ask anyone what I would do if I won the lottery they would tell you it would be to open a women’s center that provides correct information on ALL

This guest post is by Paige Knipfer, an adoptive mother. We recently adopted our son in January. We also have a daughter we adopted a couple of years ago. We have no biological children and we are unable to conceive ourselves. However, a couple weeks after we arrived home with our son I started to feel like I was pregnant. I felt crazy. There was NO possible way I could be pregnant but for the first time in my life my

This guest post is by Karie Boyd, an adoption attorney. Potential adoptive parents have lots of things to consider, one of which is to decide on open or closed adoption. In some cases, birth parents wish to learn about their biological child through things like updates, photos, and even occasional visits. While the biological parents completely relinquish their parental rights prior to the finalization of adoption, they may still have some contact with the child after, which inevitably leads to

This guest post is by Karie Boyd, an adoption attorney. The process of adopting a child is complex and parents have a lot to consider. One of the most important considerations is whether the adoptive parents choose to maintain contact with the birth parents after adoption. These so-called “post-adoption contact agreements” outline what birth parents can expect to receive from the adoptive parents, whether it’s photos, updates, or even visits with the family. If you’re considering an open adoption, here

This guest post is by Alana Redmond. The first holiday season with your adopted child should be one that is memorable. Given this may be their first time ever celebrating, its important to make it extra special. I put together a few tips to kickstart your holiday season and make memories that will last a lifetime.

This guest post is by Brian Esser, an adoptive father and attorney. My seven-year old son Keith initiated the most recent visit with his birth family. Our spring and early summer had been a hive of activity, and we had overlooked setting up our usual summer visit with his “Pennsylvania family,” as he calls his birth mother, her new husband, and the four kids she is parenting, with one more on the way. He thought some weekend in August would