Yes, it’s true. Our very own Shelise Gieseke knows how to polka. I’ve known her for three years now, and I never knew that about her. I learned it from this interview she gave to blogger Kevin Ost-Vollmers who blogs at Land of Gazillion Adoptees. Check it out! She talks about her passion for adoption education and support, and the importance of being a part of a community of adoptees. I cant wait until the next time I see her, you can bet that i’ll be asking for a polka demonstration!
I attended Adoption Mosaic’s first ever Reunion Panel this past weekend. The panel was split into two portions. In the morning we heard from adoptees who were in the early stages of their reunion journey. The afternoon was reserved for adoptees and their birth parents who had been reunited for ten years or more.
It was a profound experience listening to their stories, and I learned so much about the emotional investment and process that is involved in beginning, and sustaining a reunion for over 20 years. One of the things that most impressed me was seeing these families who had been in reunion for so long, and how they had all reached normalcy in their concept of family and kinship.
Reunion has two very different subjective connotations. On one hand it’s seen as a connection of separated (birth) families. On another hand it can be seen as destroying the connections of existing (adoptive) families. My question is why are these concepts mutually exclusive?
Adoptive families, more so than the mainstream population, know that families are not only made, they are created. Kinship systems are defined by blood, but they are also defined by love (and, well, laws). If adoptive families are more able to use out-of-the-box-thinking when it comes to the concept of family, isnt it then just a small step further to conceive of a greater family system that includes not only the adoptive family, but the birth family as well?
Not to say that any of this is simple. Connecting different families, in the case of reunion or in the case of open adoptions that occur on the outset of adoption, can be complicated, emotional and even messy. But honestly, aren’t most families, in general, complicated, emotional and messy?
I am so grateful to have been able to see first-hand, on the Reunion Panel, adoptive and birth families who are making it work, and who even love and appreciate each other. I left hopeful and inspired.
We blend our families through marriage all the time. We don’t always love or understand “the in-laws” but we don’t question their right to be considered a part of our family. Shouldn’t it be the same for birth families?
Here is another blogger’s take on the Reunion Panel
Here is the second installment of the Transracial Adoptees Speak video series created from clips of Adoption Mosaic’s Transracial Adoptee panel. In this video Shelise, Micah, and LaCrisha (all raised by white families) talk about their experiences building their racial identities.
“What does it mean to build bridges within the adoption community?”
This is the question that Adoption Mosaic Executive Director Astrid Dabbeni addresses in our newest video blog. To view other videos please visit Adoption Mosaic’s YouTube channel.
Adoption disruption and dissolution has received much attention from the media in recent months due to several high-profile cases. However, disruption and dissolution is nothing new in the world of domestic and international adoption. Amid all the media buzz, thorough examination of the issue has been lacking. Remedying this, Dawn Friedman has written a very important article. The Myth of the Forever Family; When Adoption Falls Apart was published today in Brain Child magazine. Adoption Mosaic’s Executive Director Astrid Dabbeni is quoted in the article. Read the rest of this entry »
One of the core values at Adoption Mosaic is the goal to support and be inclusive of all members of the adoption community, not just in words, but in action. It’s a pretty rare, and undoubtedly admirable ideal, and we could talk for a while about how cool it is, but what I want to mention is how very hard it is.
It is not true of every one, however, many people in the adoption triad don’t regularly rub shoulders with other triad members. Though I count other adoptees to be some of my closest friends, with the exception of family, I hadn’t come into much contact with other triad or community members until I became involved with Adoption Mosaic almost 5 years ago.
When I say it’s hard, what I’m talking about is the subtle (and not very subtle) walls that exist between triad members. I’m talking about the dynamics between white folks and people of color. I’m talking about generational differences and how they shade respect. And I am talking about how deeply, and intensely personal, adoption is to every individual involved and how much everyone has at stake. Read the rest of this entry »
The goal of the Adoption Mosaic blog is to create a safe space where adoption community members can voice their experience, dialogue about issues, and learn from one another.
We recognize that our diverse community won't always agree, but feel that disagreements can be vocalized in a respectful manner. In order to ensure our blog remains a safe space for both bloggers and commenters to communicate freely, we ask that commenters follow this simple rule.
Yes, it’s true. Our very own Shelise Gieseke knows how to polka. I’ve known her for three years now, and I never knew that about her. I learned it from this interview she gave to blogger Kevin Ost-Vollmers who blogs at Land of Gazillion Adoptees. Check it out! She talks about her passion for adoption education and support, and the importance of being a part of a community of adoptees. I cant wait until the next time I see her, you can bet that i’ll be asking for a polka demonstration!
