Adoption Education Archives

Who Am I Really?

BPetersonDesign2022-04-01T07:27:27-07:00February 25, 2021|Adoption Education, Adoption is Hard, Adoption Perspectives, Domestic infant adoption, Hoping to Adopt, Open Adoption (Learn)|

Guest blogger, Damon L. Davis, is an adoptee, an adoptive parent, and the host of the "Who Am I Really?" podcast, where he shares the reunion stories of other adoptees. You can find the show anywhere you listen to podcasts, online at www.whoamireallypodcast.com, and follow the show on social media @WAIReally. Damon's book "Who Am I Really? An Adoptee Memoir" recounts his amazing reunion with his biological mother, the accidental DNA discovery of his birth father, and all of his inner thoughts and emotions along the way.

Agency vs. Direct Placement Adoptions

BPetersonDesign2022-04-01T07:28:14-07:00February 18, 2021|Adoption Advisor, Adoption Education, Adoption Outreach, Adoption Process, Domestic infant adoption, Funding Your Adoption, Hoping to Adopt|

As we mentioned a few weeks ago, we know there are a lot of terms used in the adoption community that the average person doesn’t know or understand, so we’ll be discussing these on our social/blog for the next few months, as time permits. Did you know that there are typically two types of adoptions available in domestic infant adoption: agency adoptions and direct placement adoptions (often referred to as private or independent adoptions), and do you understand the differences? Do you understand when you might use one versus the other? Did you know that some states allow direct placement adoptions and some do not? Click here to learn more about type of adoption.

5 Things You Shouldn’t Say to a Mom (or Dad) Through Adoption

BPetersonDesign2022-04-01T07:32:24-07:00February 10, 2021|Adoption Education, Adoption is Hard, Adoption Perspectives, Adoption Process, Domestic infant adoption, Hoping to Adopt, Infertility|

Okay, if you’re reading this, it means you might have seen my first Reel! Hopefully I’ll get better at this! So, some of these questions and comments are totally personal, some feel harmless or are meant as a complement, but all are not recommended for the following reasons…

The Real Scoop About Hiring An Adoption Advisor

BPetersonDesign2022-04-01T07:33:11-07:00January 21, 2021|Adoption Advisor, Adoption Education, Adoption Process, Hoping to Adopt|

This video talks about what an adoption advisor is, and how to choose an adoption advisor for your domestic adoption journey.

Post-Adoption Comprehensive Care

BPetersonDesign2022-04-05T13:58:34-07:00December 17, 2020|Adoption Advisor, Adoption Education, Adoption is Hard, Adoption Perspectives, Adoption Process, Domestic infant adoption, Drug/Alcohol Exposure, Hoping to Adopt|

This guest blog post includes Five Recommendations for Parents to Seek Out For Their Child with a History of Adoption or Foster Care. It was written by Kimara Gustafson MD, MPH, Erin Bocock, Judith Eckerle MD with Adoption Medicine Clinic. This blog post will discuss different assessments and care that is available for a child who was adopted and/or a child who may have a background of abuse/neglect, stress, early adversity and prenatal exposures. To read more about these resources for families who have adopted a child, click here.

What’s In A Name?

BPetersonDesign2022-04-01T07:34:22-07:00December 9, 2020|Adoption Advisor, Adoption Education, Adoption is Hard, Adoption Process, Domestic infant adoption, Hoping to Adopt|

Naming your child is a big deal, many people have family names or favorite names they have picked out for their child for years before their child arrives. But in an adoption scenario, there are a lot of things to consider when naming or “re-naming” a child at the finalization of an adoption. Read more below to understand better how a child is initially named in an adoption scenario, and how that is reflected on two different birth certificates.

Another way to look at birthdays…

BPetersonDesign2022-04-01T07:35:13-07:00December 2, 2020|Adoption Advisor, Adoption Education, Adoption is Hard, Adoption Perspectives, Domestic infant adoption, Hoping to Adopt|

So, today is my (gulp) 43rd birthday. I used to be one of those people who LOVED my birthday, and was so excited to celebrate it, preferably for a whole week. Now that I’m in my 40s, I feel a little less like that (I’d really rather like to stop aging altogether), but it has also been adoption that has changed my perspective on birthdays as well. My mom typically texts me or calls me the morning of my birthday, celebrating a special and momentous day for her as well. But the same can’t be said for a birth mother who placed her child with another. My daughter Cora’s birthday is only a week after mine, and now I feel a pang of sadness on Cora’s birthday each year. Click here to read more.

Why You Want an Attorney to Represent You in Your Adoption

BPetersonDesign2022-04-01T07:36:01-07:00November 24, 2020|Adoption Education, Adoption Perspectives, Adoption Process, Domestic infant adoption, Hoping to Adopt|

At Purl, we work very closely with adoption attorneys as we guide our families through the domestic infant adoption process. Before a family actively begins their adoption process, we work with our Purl Families to determine the best professionals for a multi-professional (attorneys and agencies) approach to their adoption journey. Our recommendations always include at least one adoption attorney that is a fellow in the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (“AAAA”). As a lawyer myself, licensed in both Arizona and California, I believe strongly in legal representation at least by the point of a match with an expectant family, and separate representation for adoptive families and expectant families. One of the adoption attorneys we work closely with is Ted R. Youmans, founder of Familybuilding, a professional law corporation with offices in California and Idaho. Ted has practiced law for over 33 years exclusively in adoption, focusing on private, agency, newborn, toddler, special needs, interstate, stepparent, adult, disrupted and foster care adoption, as well as the related litigation to those adoptions. Ted is a member of AAAA and the California Academy of Adoption Attorneys, academies dedicated to the promotion and development of highly competent, ethical practices in adoption and children’s law. Today, Ted shares his thoughts as to Why You Need an Attorney to Represent You in Your Adoption.

Be the Bridge – A Guide to Transracial Adoption

BPetersonDesign2022-04-01T07:37:02-07:00November 23, 2020|Adoption Education, Adoption is Hard, Adoption Perspectives, Domestic infant adoption, Transracial Adoption (Learn)|

This is a blog post written by Gina Fimbel, MSW. She’s an educator with Be the Bridge, an organization created to empower people and culture toward racial healing, equity and reconciliation. In her post, she explains more about their organization as well as their Transracial Adoption Guide that can help prospective adoptive families considering transracial adoption, or families who have already adopted transracially. Click here to read more, or to purchase their Transracial Adoption Guide.

Born Out of Tragedy…

BPetersonDesign2022-04-01T07:38:08-07:00November 18, 2020|Adoption Education, Adoption is Hard, Transracial Adoption (Learn)|

Do you watch This is Us? It is my favorite show right now, but I have to admit I have to be in the right mood to watch it, because it is rare that I don’t end up in tears during an episode. I haven’t yet watched this week’s episode (I was too exhausted to cry last night), but the first episode of this season was SO GOOD. In that episode they discussed COVID and the racial tensions of 2020, and the impact of these events on a close-knit family, including a 40 year old Black man who was adopted at birth by this family. This episode also touched on Alzheimer’s/Dementia, and broken relationships within that family. Many of these topics really hit home for me when I watched it, and I’m pretty sure I cried for about an hour afterwards.

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