Author Archives: Shoshanna Grey

Should You Adopt Transracially?

Once you have decided to adopt, the decisions just keep on coming. One big decision that adoptive parents need to make is the race of their child. It is my hope that this article will give you the tools you need to begin thinking about adopting a child of a different race. Here are some things you should consider: How do you feel about the race you are considering? Whether we want to admit it or not, we all have embraced some stereotypes. We may think that we are neutral, but still some of these will linger. An excellent exercise … Continue reading →

Book Review: Cross Cultural Adoption

“Cross-Cultural Adoption: How to Answer Questions from Family, Friends and Community” by Amy Coughlin and Caryn Abramowitz If you adopt internationally, then you are adopting cross-culturally. This is true even if the child you adopt has the same skin color as you do. Because of this, it is important for families to take the time to embrace the culture of their adopted child. Also, we need to be prepared for the questions that family, friends and community will have about our adoptive family, how it was formed and what it means to our child. The book “Cross-Cultural Adoption: How to … Continue reading →

Adopting Alone

If you are single and considering adoption, then your choice is doubly difficult. Not only do you need to decide if adoption is right for you, there is the added concern of whether or not you are prepared to be a single parent. There are several things you should consider as you make the choice about whether or not you should adopt as a single parent: Do you want to adopt? This question is the same for every person. Do you want to be an adoptive parent? Do you feel comfortable with raising a child who is not biologically related … Continue reading →

Book Review: Beyond the Blue

“Beyond the Blue”, a novel by Leslie Gould Normally, we review non-fiction books on this blog, but today I wanted to make an exception. This novel was recommended to me by another adoptive mother and after reading it, I wanted to share it with you. Beyond the Blue is the story of two women. The first is an American woman named Gen who longs for a child, but is unable to conceive. The second is a poor, unwed Vietnamese woman named Lan, who comes to the terrible realization that she cannot care for her children. The unique thing about this … Continue reading →

How to Support an Adoptive Family

As adoption becomes more prevalent, you are more likely to know an adoptive family or have a family member who is somehow involved in adoption. One thing that is very difficult for adoptive families is the fact that most of the people we know and often even our family members don’t really understand what it is like to be an adoptive family. This article is for those of you who don’t plan to adopt, but who have adoptive families in their lives. Here are some ways that you can support these families: Be Supportive of their Decision to Adopt When … Continue reading →

Adoption Fundraising – Part 2

Here are a few more ideas for how to fundraise for your adoption: Garage Sale With this fundraiser, contact everyone you know and ask them if they have stuff to donate to your garage sale. Often people will have items sitting in their garage or in their attic and they will be thrilled to have you come haul it away. Another idea that I have heard of is that you can advertise in the paper that you will pick up the “leftovers” from other people’s garage sales. After a long day of selling, many people are thrilled to have you … Continue reading →

Adoption Fundraising, Part 1

You’ve looked at your resources, you’ve cut back your budget, and you’ve applied for a bunch of loans and grants. You look at your adoption budget . . . and there’s still a deficit. Welcome to the world of adoption. If you did get this far and you’ve paid for your adoption, then congratulations! However, most of us just aren’t in this category. Now that you’ve pursued these first avenues to fund your adoption, you need to get creative. Now is the time for fundraising! Here are some great ways to fundraise for your adoption: Letters to Family and Friends … Continue reading →

Funding Your Adoption – Grants and Loans

In the last article on adoption funding, we talked about how you can take advantage of your resources to fund your adoption, as well as finding ways to cut back. This is where you should start, but for many families it won’t be enough. Another resource for adoptive families are adoption grants and loans. Grants Adoption grants are a wonderful resource for families. Non profit organizations, many of them run by religious organizations, try to help defray the huge cost of adoption for families. Some grants, like those offered by the National Adoption Foundation, do not have specific requirements. Others, … Continue reading →

Funding Your Adoption – Getting Started

When starting to think about international adoption, the first thing most people ask is, “What does it cost?” The answer is staggering – costs range from $20,000 – $40,000 depending on the country and the situation. Many people hear this and then they decide that they can’t adopt. You have read this far, though, and maybe you have this glimmer of hope that perhaps you really can adopt, even if you aren’t due to inherit the Gates fortune. The truth is that families adopt every day. Normal families with moderate incomes have adopted and many plan to do it again. … Continue reading →

Should I Adopt? Part 2

The last article on considering adoption focused on you (and your spouse) feel about adoption. The next set of questions you need to ask yourself is about your home, your family situation and your ability to take on the challenge of adding an adopted child to your family. How stable is our home life? Adoption is not easy. Just like adding a new baby to the household, it will definitely disrupt your schedule and everyone in the family has to adjust. With adoption, it is often not a infant who is joining your family, but an older baby, toddler or … Continue reading →