In my March 22, 2006 post I said that I would "try and blog about adoption economics on another day." It is another day........

I decided to adopt independently (without an adoption agency). I thought it would let me understand and control my money better. Boy was I delusional. I knew where my money went, but I didn't have as much control as I thought. The numbers below are from my 2000 adoption.

Starting with the home study... I searched for a reasonable... more

For anyone who is thinking about adopting a special needs child (which all institutionalized children should be considered special needs children) or has adopted a special needs child... you must read Welcome to Holland

NOTE: I am not saying all children adopted from orphanages will be special needs children. I am saying assume there will be issues and research the available resources before adopting. Once my daughter was home with me I didn't have much energy/time available for researching available... more

I was startled to read in R.A.D.ically Overdiagnosed... that

It appears that “Attachment Disorder” as we know it today first established a toehold in the US in the early 1980’s.

As I blogged in Early History of Attachment Theory, attachment theory started with Freud in the early 1900s. John Bowlby (in the 1950s) and Mary Ainsworth (in the... more

Modern theories about attachment started with Freud who was born in 1856 and died in 1939.

Freud suggested that an infant's emotional tie to his/her mother is the foundation for later relationships. Subsequent research on the outcomes of early attachment has been consistent with Freud's idea.

From: DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY ATTACHMENT

Then came the man who is called the father of attachment; John Bowlby. John was born in 1907 and died in 1990. Around 1930... more

A family just finished adopting their 13 year old son from Ukraine. They gave me permission to share some of their emails.

First blog on their adoption is here.

Second blog on their adoption is here.

3/23/06

Coming home tomorrow with [our son].

........those of you who have gone before know how it is to run from place... more

There are 3 basic reactions to encountering something new; push away, pull toward, or neutral. Adoption is about family and therefore there are rarely neutral reactions.

So as an adoptive-parent-to-be in 1999 my reaction to anti-adoption was very negative.

And to this day I find myself turned off by the arrogance of some anti-adoption writers. I witnessed a very ugly event on an anti-adoption chat board once. It wasn't a flame war. It was a mob attack. Five anti-adoption women... more

My daughter, Natasha, was 3.5 years when she came home and had major sleep issues for the first year she was home. She had some major (scared out of her mind) fears related to sleep.

She still actually has sleep issues. But now she doesn’t want to sleep because she is afraid she will miss something fun or interesting.

Natasha was home for 6 months before she started talking specifically about her fears. For example she was afraid her caretaker... more

I haven't heard of anyone getting an appointment past March 30. And the NAC web site is now down. It appears that a new law was passed on adoption processing. NAC's last day is April 3. The new Department on Adoption and Child Rights Protection gains authority over adoptions starting April 4, 2006. This makes sense based on a past news article.

In my Department on Adoption and Child Rights Protection, I mentioned a news article from Feb 6, 2006. Starting April 4, 2006,... more

Like everyone else I am waiting to hear how adoptions will be transitioned from the NAC to the new Department on Adoption.

I haven't seen this information from any government body, but it seems pretty firm. The last appointment at the NAC will be March 30 or March 31 (depending on who is sharing the information). And the month of April will be used to transition between the NAC and the new Department.

No one is talking about when the new Department of Adoption... more

Image: www.freeimages.co.uk

My daughter's last 3 years in school has taught me much. The most important lesson that I learned was to trust myself. If I believe something is wrong, then probably something is wrong.

I briefly wrote up my daughter's journey in part 1, part 2, part... more