Author Archives: Shoshanna Grey

Spotlight on African Adoptions

This week I want to specifically focus on adoptions from Africa. Why Africa? Because there are currently 14 million orphans in Africa and by the year 2010 there will be more than 25 million. This one continent holds more than half of the orphans in the world. The purpose of the next few days is to put a spotlight on Africa and the huge need of the orphans there. While the number of children waiting for adoption is very high, the continent of Africa also has a fairly low incidence of adoption. Compared to countries like China, Russia and Guatemala … Continue reading →

Why is Hair an Adoption Issue?

Did you know that hair is relevant to adoption? It isn’t one if you adopt a Caucasian, Asian or Hispanic child. However, when you make the decision to adopt an African, Haitian or African American child, suddenly this issue springs to life. I was surprised at first to find out that hair is a big issue in adoption. Several African American friends have pulled me aside either to offer their help or to remind me that it is important to learn how to do Laney’s hair. I also read that hair is the main reason that some African Americans are … Continue reading →

Preparing to Parent Your Special Needs Child

When a child with special needs is born into a family, the parents often experience shock, grief and a whole slew of other emotions. They usually will come to a point of acceptance, but at first it is a very difficult thing to grasp. However, when adoptive parents choose to parent a special needs child, they have the advantage of knowing in advance and they have the chance to prepare themselves. Often, this has the dual purpose of being a great way to be productive and to fill the time while you wait for your adoption to be completed. There … Continue reading →

Whose “Job” Is Your Adoption?

The one thing we all know is true about international adoption is that there is a lot of paperwork. The compilation of the dossier is usually a huge job in itself – often taking several months. There are calls to make, emails to send, documents to obtain, forms to fill out, and the list goes on. As all of this work begins, someone obviously has to take care of it. While I am confident that there are some couples who manage to evenly divide the “job” that is adoption, it seems to be fairly rare. Instead, the bulk of the … Continue reading →

Is Madonna Adopting?

This week the news broke that Madonna had adopted a one year old boy from Malawi, Africa. Several news sources wrote that the country of Malawi had waived its’ strict adoption requirements (including 2 years of residency on the part of the adoptive parents) in order for Madonna to adopt this child. Reportedly, Madonna plans to donate funds to relief efforts in the country, including building an orphanage where the children will be taught the teachings of Kabbalah. The first article came out on October 4th. You can see it by clicking HERE Later in the day, another news source … Continue reading →

The Shepherds Crook

There are those in this world who cannot look out for themselves. They are the poor, the helpless and especially the orphaned children. However, within the desperate situation of the millions of orphans in the world, there is a group of children who are even greater in need. These are the special needs orphans. These children not only face the world without a mother and a father to care for them, but they also have to face the world with the extra challenges that these special needs bring. Often these special needs children are forgotten or simply overlooked. Yet, they … Continue reading →

Do Adoptive Parents Nest?

I’ve heard the question asked before: do adoptive parents nest? I have wondered it myself, but now I am seeing it. I don’t have a due date like someone who is pregnant, but some part of me knows that the time for my child to arrive is getting closer and I am preparing. It started with a general need to get things tidy. I started cleaning off surfaces and became obsessive about where things went. Then came the need to get rid of things. I started de-cluttering like crazy. My poor husband quickly realized that if he didn’t lay claim … Continue reading →

Is The Adoption Wait Like a Pregnancy?

One of the hardest things about adoption is the wait that is involved. We’ve been waiting almost a year now to bring a child home. Often, in an effort to help, I have had people comment “Well, it takes 9 months for a pregnancy”. That statement always rubs me the wrong way, even though I know that the person means well. I heard the comment again last week and it got me thinking – is the adoption wait really like a pregnancy? Do adoptive parents really not have the right to complain about a wait because they would have waited … Continue reading →

Educating Yourself about Trans-racial Adoption

Most of you know that I am adopting trans-racially. Our daughter is from Africa and our son from Central America. As we wait to bring them home, one of the things I have focused on is educating myself about trans-racial adoption. I would love to pretend that trans-racial adoption is no different than same-race adoption, but that simply isn’t the truth. Even though our family may be color-blind, the rest of the world isn’t. Part of preparing my children for life is giving them the tools they need to face challenges that they encounter both as members of a minority … Continue reading →

In Loving Memory of Erick

Most of you don’t know about Erick. I haven’t told you because I wasn’t ready. But, today seems like the right time to tell his story. You see, today would have been Erick’s first birthday. Erick was born to a young, impoverished woman in Guatemala. Like many woman in this situation, she chose to place her child for adoption in order to give him the chance for a better life. However, Erick’s life was already a little more complicated than that of the average baby because he had special needs that the doctors could not diagnose. Erick’s picture was soon … Continue reading →