Why is everyone's adoption experience unique?

Back to the book, State and Institution Building in Ukraine... It was edited by Taras Kuzio, Robert S Kravchuk, Paul D'Anieri and was published in 1999.

While Ukrainian scholars have not applied the label post-colonial to Ukraine. Tazas Kuzio believes the label is correct. He compares Ukraine to other post-colonial countries like Zimbabwe.

Ukraine was bullied... more

Families who adopt from Ukraine with or without an adoption agency have the same issue. Who will help shepherd the family through the adoption process in Ukraine? The answer is a facilitator.

In the absence of agencies in particular, interpreters currently play the key role in guiding prospective foreign adopters through the adoption process. Undoubtedly, they generally work hard. Essentially interpreters organize every aspect of adopters’ stay in Ukraine from arrival to departure and accompany them throughout – and indeed they are more commonly referred... more

A loophole in German law is allowing men to adopt children under very specific circumstances.

Under a law on children's rights dating from 1998, a man can become the legal father of a child as long as the mother gives her permission and there is no record of a birth father.

Once adopted, the child can gain a German passport and have access to the welfare state as well as education.

From: Man to adopt 1,000... more

Just a recap..... I read a post on FRUA. A family was asking how children learn or don't learn language. Their child had been home for 6 weeks.

I looked at old emails and journal entries. Natasha had been home for 2 months before I noticed her usage of English was improving.

What I didn't know at that point was just how delayed her language skills were. Her language skills were screened after she had been home for 6 months. She was 4 years... more

Many families trying to adopt from Ukraine are getting very emotionally tired. I know that I would be. Ukrainian adoption used to be more predictable for families. They could be completed from start to finish within a year. There are people waiting for an appointment who were registed in Feb 2006.

Current rumor is that the SDA will open at the end of June.

Sending everyone who is waiting a virtual hug.

(((((((((((((((((( hug ))))))))))))))))))

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Here are some... more

So to pull this back to adoption...... Why is everyone's adoption experience unique?

Ukrainians learned to trust their social networks for support and information because they couldn't depend on their institutions.

The adoption process had just changed when I arrived in Kharkiv in 2000. Used to be, one judge handled all the adoption cases. Now the adoption cases are divided among all the district (think county) judges.

My judge didn't know anything about adoption law. He had a busy docket and didn't have time to read, so he gave me a court date... more

Before I get to the rumors, I want to review what we have been told via official channels about the SDA and Ukrainian adoptions starting again.

Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine

Resolution Number 367

March 25, 2006

..... within the period of one week, the Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the Ministry of Family, Youth, and Sports, should develop a transition plan for the transfer of all paper and electronic data from the NAC to the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Children’s Rights

From: American... more

In the 15 years since independence, Ukraine has been inching toward democracy. But much of the institutionalized behaviors from the Soviet era remained.

I traveled to Ukraine in November 2000. Many people strongly believed Ukrainian President Kuchma was connected to the murder of a journalist, Georgy Gongadze. Georgy had been reporting on governmental corruption. Georgy's headless body was found November 3, 2000 in a field.

Then there was the 2004 election of Yushchenko. It was reported that... more

Part 1 introduced my theory that Ukrainian "institutional uncertainty" is why everyone's adoption experience is different. Part 2 was a specific example of the institutions themselves causing the uncertainty. Eventually people stop believing their government and institutions when they are lied to over and over.

So back to the Verkhovna... more

I read the same thread on FRUA that Nancy Spoolstra did. The thread was about internationally adopted children and how quickly they do or do not start learning English.

She wrote Mi Casa es Mi Castillo.

Nancy wrote:

While I completely agree some kids have language and processing issues, and... more