This content was originally published by Creating a Family, the national infertility education and support nonprofit. November is National Adoption Month. To kick off this year’s campaign of awareness, we are delighted to share one foster mom’s personal perspective on open adoption with her children’s birth family. Through learning how to co-parent as a foster
Open Adoption With Addicted Birth Parents
This content was originally published by Creating a Family, the national infertility education and support nonprofit. There are no clear rules that always apply to navigate relationships with people who are actively addicted. It depends on so many factors. But Kate Cleary, Executive Director of Consortium for Children, who has negotiated many post-adoption openness agreements and
A True Teen Foster Care Adoption Story
This content was originally published by Creating a Family, the national infertility education and support nonprofit. We talk a lot about adopting an older child or teen from foster care, but what is the experience really like? We asked a mom who adopted a 16-year-old from foster care to share her real experience—both the good
Educated Wealthy Parents Have Problems in Adoption – Say What?!?
This content was originally published by Creating a Family, the national infertility education and support nonprofit. In an interview on Creating a Family Radio Show Dr. Richard Barth, Dean of the School of Social Work at the University of Maryland School of Social Work, said something that startled me. “The more educated the parents and
9 Essential Things Adoptive Parents Must Do Before Their Child Turns 13
This content was originally published by Creating a Family, the national infertility education and support nonprofit. The elementary school-age years are an important time for parents to lay the foundation for the potential turbulence of adolescents. What can parents do to help their children process adoption in the ages between 6 and 12? We’ve come
Transracial & Transcultural Adoption: Preservation, Policy, and a Personal Perspective
This article, written by Alexis Oberdorfer, MSW, Executive Director of CH/LSS, was originally published by National Council for Adoptable Children (NCFA) In 1948, white parents in Minnesota adopted a black child and were the first recorded transracial adoption in the United States. The following year, novelist and winner of the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes Pearl
Embracing and Teaching Advocacy as Parents of Children with Down Syndrome
As parents to three amazing kids, we’ve found many things to be constant over the years: going to music festivals, a yearly trip to Duluth, nightly walks (when the weather permits), spending time with family, enjoying the lake, and finding any educational activities that we can do to embrace the many cultures in our family.
Helping Adopted Children Cope With Grief and Loss
This content was originally published by childwelfare.gov Many children in foster care have experienced traumatic separations and losses. The emotions elicited by these traumatic experiences are rooted in underlying grief, which may complicate their adjustment to the newly formed adoptive family unit. Children’s response to grief may vary, depending on their age and stage of
Join us for Fidgety Fairy Tales, The Mental Health Musicals
Come join us Monday, April 8 for Fidgety Fairy Tales This year Minnesota Association for for Children’s Mental Health joins us again in their 11th musical where familiar fairy tales are re-imagined to raise awareness about children’s mental health. With great music and gentle humor, this hour-long musical is fun for the whole family. This
Tips for Blending Foster, Biological & Adopted Children
This content was originally published by Creating a Family, the national infertility education and support nonprofit. Blending a foster child with children already in the home is one of the biggest challenges many foster parents face. Regardless whether the kids already in the home are by birth or adoption, the addition of a new foster
