Author Archives: Shoshanna Grey

Book Review: Adoption Journeys

Adoption Journeys by Carole S. Turner is a great book. Turner herself is an adoptive parent. She is the mother of a little girl from Thailand and knows firsthand what it is to travel the road to adoption. Adoption Journeys is a mix of adoption stories, told by the people who lived them. It is a book that speaks of the hope that adoption brings, even when the road to the completion of the adoption is long and difficult. What I loved most about this book was its’ diversity. It doesn’t focus on just one type of adoption or one … Continue reading →

Book Review: Adoption Nation

Adoption Nation by Adam Pertman is a study on how adoption has changed in America over the last century. It explores the way that adoption is becoming more widespread and more accepted and also discusses the ways that adoption still needs to change. This is a great book to catch up on the issues involved in adoption, the social policy involved and also the ways in which the culture of adoption is changing. First of all, the book discusses how adoption has come “out of the shadows”. For past generations, adoption was something that was never talked about. It was … Continue reading →

Why We Chose International Adoption

No matter what kind of adoption you choose, people will ask you why you didn’t choose another kind. It reminds me of a “mother-in-law” joke I heard once. Apparently a woman gave her son-in-law two neckties for Christmas. The next time she sees him, he is wearing one of them. Here response to this is, “Why aren’t you wearing the other tie?”. Adoption seems to be the same way. Everyone seems to have an idea of what kind of adoption is best. Some think you’re crazy not to adopt an infant through domestic adoption. Others want to know why you’re … Continue reading →

Am I Missing Out?

Like many newly married couples, my husband and I always enjoyed talking about our future children. We loved to hold other people’s newborn babies and we could not wait to have one of our own. We wanted the experience of raising a tiny baby from the first moment of their lives and then all of the way through toddlerhood, elementary school, high school and beyond. However, as time went on we began to realize that for us having a pregnancy and raising an infant was much less important to us than experiencing the joys of parenting. Because of that, we … Continue reading →

What Kind of Adoption?

How do you decide what type of adoption is right for you? The options and decisions can appear endless and they are definitely overwhelming. The purpose of this article is to give you a very basic overview of the three main types of adoption. If one of these options spark your interest then you can begin to do more research (don’t forget to check out our blogs on each kind of adoption!) and hopefully feel a little more confident as you head in a specific direction. While there are other categories of adoption, the main areas of adoption that most … Continue reading →

Get Involved – Support and Encourage

This is the last in a series of blogs on how to get involved in adoption even if you are not adopting children into your own family. One of the biggest things that you can do for an adoptive family is to provide emotional support and encouragement. Adoptive families deal with all of the issues that traditional families encounter and added to that is a set of challenges unique to adoption. While most adoptive parents say that they would do it all again in a heartbeat, they also confess that they are often overwhelmed by the challenges of adoptive parenting. … Continue reading →

Get Involved – Help Financially

This is the third in a series on how to get involved with adoption even if you are not able to adopt at this point in your life. Another huge way that you can help with adoption is by getting involved financially. While adoption from the foster care system has little or no cost attached to it, international adoption is a huge financial drain on adoptive families. International adoptions can cost anywhere from $10,000 to over $30,000 and beyond. The average international adoption costs about $25,000. While I have met some potential adoptive parents who are able to afford to … Continue reading →

Special Needs Adoption – What Is It?

For a lot of people, hearing the word “special needs” in relation to adoption is a deal breaker. It seems overwhelming and scary and most potential adoptive parents immediately run the other way. However, special needs is a broad category and it is one that should not be immediately written off. Let me describe a few hypothetical special needs children to you: “Caleb” – This little boy is five years old and in state foster care. His race is African American. “Grace” – This little girl is six months old. She has a cleft lip which will require surgery. “David” … Continue reading →

Get Involved – Mentoring Children in State Care

This the second article in a series about how to get involved with the orphans of the world, even if you are not currently able to adopt. The first article talked about how to participate in child sponsorship. Another great way to get involved with these kids is through mentoring. There are a lot of great opportunities to mentor children who are in state care. Why should you mentor a child? Kids in foster care have very few constants in their lives. Adults have come and gone with alarming rapidity. Often these kids feel that no one is “on their … Continue reading →

Get Involved – Child Sponsorship

So many people have a place in their hearts for the orphans of the world, but for whatever reason don’t feel like adoption is a good option for their family – at least not at this point in their lives. This article is the first of a four-part series on how you can get involved in adoption and make a difference in the lives of orphaned children – even if you are not able to make the commitment to bring one into your home. One great way to get involved with these precious children is through child sponsorship. With child … Continue reading →