It’s Open Thread Day!
Tell us what’s on your mind.
Archive for May, 2009
International Adoption – Discussion on New York Times Forum
The New York Times has a discussion on their Opinion Forum about the circumstances under which international adoption should be allowed. Celebrity adoptions often spark debate on the ethics of international adoption, and this time is no different. Madonna is seeking to adopt a second child from Malawi and some organizations have said that the child, Mercy James, should be kept in her home country.
The Forum includes commentary from international adoption experts and comments from readers. There are a lot of strong opinions on the Forum, and some posters are upset that while The New York Times chose various experts on international adoption, no adult international adoptees were included on the panel.
What should the standard be for allowing international adoptions?
Tell us what you think!
It’s Open Thread Wednesday – Adoption Language
We watched “August Rush” in our Adult Adoptee Movie Group and near the end of our great discussion the topic of language came up.
We want to hear from you:
Do you feel more comfortable saying “birth parents” or “first parents”? Do you feel that if “first parents” aren’t involved in parenting they should be referred to as “parents”? How about “first mother” and “first father”?
Do you say “I was adopted” or “I am adopted”? Or, do you state “I’m an adoptee”? Do you think there’s a difference between these?
What impact do you think language has on shaping your experience and your identity as a member of the adoption constellation? Do you think a shift in language can change how other people look at adoption?
Korea’s 4th Annual Adoption Day
Yesterday, May 11th, was Korea’s 4th annual Adoption Day. The day kicked off a whole week of events designed to promote adoption within Korea. The whole concept for having Adoption Day on the 11th is centered around the idea of one family adopting one child. The graph in this article in The Korean Herald shows some interesting stats.
According to this short article below, “Some civic organizations and Korean adoptee groups urge the government to seek an alternative to adoption by supporting women’s rights in South Korea and increasing financial support and services for single and unwed mothers, so that ‘one plus one’ might also equal one birth mother’s ability to keep her child. ”
What are You Thinking About on this Mother’s Day?
Mother’s Day has oftentimes been a complex day for me. In the past there’s been a lot of sadness that has come up for me around my first mother; a lot of questions about where she is now and whether she’s thinking about me. I’m not sure what Mother’s Day has been like for my sisters. It’s not something that we’ve talked about before. My two sisters and I were all adopted by different families, and though we didn’t have the chance to build up many childhood memories, we have been connected as adults for quite a while now.
This Mother’s Day I had the most wonderful experience of being able to call one of my sisters and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day for the very first time. She had her first child, a son, late last year. I’m so happy that she now has this connection to her son, and I’m very excited to be an aunt! Though there’s still sadness, I’m also feeling some very real joy today.
What’s on your mind this Mother’s Day?
It’s Open Thread Wednesday!
“First Mother” or “Birth Mother”? Is America now “post-racial”? Those are just some of the questions that have come up on our blog recently
It’s Open Thread Wednesday. Tell us what’s on YOUR mind.