In 1956 Lois Nelson, a 16-year-old high school junior, walked into the Salvation Army Booth Women’s Home and Hospital, a safe haven for unwed mothers, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Before she knew she was pregnant, Lois ended her relationship with the child’s father. By the time she told him, he had married his new girlfriend.
A Very Foster Christmas and an Adoptive New Year
Joyful Noize Productions is putting together a show celebrating the foster/adoption community and YOU are the stars. They have an open call for story tellers who want to share their first-person foster or adoption story—these can be foster/adopted youth, grown up youth, siblings, parents, and kinship folks. As a story teller, you will tell your
Feels Like Home | A Birth Mother’s Story
From the moment I found out I was pregnant, I knew I was going to do adoption. But the path was not as straight-forward as I first expected. My daughter’s birth father was involved and supportive of the adoption. But this was the first time in our relationship that he was supportive for the right
A Letter from My Birth Parents
The following is an excerpt from How Did You Find Me, a sweet story about love lost and found again. Crossing over decades, the book weaves together the narratives of an adopted woman, her birth mother and birth father, highlighting how the adoption affected each of them and their relationships over the years. Though the narratives
Adoption: Recognizing the loss for all of us
I witnessed something unexpected this weekend—a swirl of pain in a normally safe place. A group devoted to conversations about parenting adopted/foster children with connection, a group teaching and supporting the methods developed by my friend, Dr. Karyn Purvis, became a place of debate, contention, and pain. As I watched the conversation unfold, much of
For the Love of a First Mom (Birth Mom)
Last Friday my son arrived home from school with a friend. He opened the front door, calling out, “Hi, Mom!” Turning to his friend, he added, “Dude, I have two moms. That means I have eight grandparents.” His friend casually replied, “Yeah, I know,” as they dropped their backpacks in the middle of the entryway
Olivia is One: Life after placement
I am behind as Olivia is almost 13 months old but I finally feel OK to talk about this milestone without bawling… I was SO SO fortunate to celebrate Olivia’s birthday, smash cake included. It was a day better than I hoped for. I got Olivia a necklace that matched rings Amy and I have.
I found a reason for living, found a reason to love again
Today I was blessed with the privilege of going to Olivia’s 4-month doctors appointment! It was an amazing experience. The doctor said she will be a little one, but she is way ahead developmentally. That makes me so very proud. She’s only 4 months old and rolls over on her own and rolls back to
A Birth Mother’s Experience: The Holidays and Open Adoption
The holiday time is finally upon us and I’m excited/dreading it. Last year was so different for me. I was pregnant and seemingly alone. I had very little support once some of my family members found out I chose not only adoption but open adoption. (We had that lovely debate on Thanksgiving.) Birth dad wasn’t
Open Auditions | Wonderlust Productions Adoption Play
Wonderlust Productions is pleased to invite members of the adoption community to audition for a new play based on the experiences of people in Minnesota affected by adoption. The play is a fictional story that blends together elements from the real stories gathered from over 200 people in Minnesota affected by adoption. It takes place at an
