Post Adoption E-Magazine, November 2009
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Post-Adoption Announcements
The New Adoption Month E-Magazine is Here!
If you're a regular subscriber to the AdoptionWeek.com Weekly E-Magazine, then you may be noticing some changes. One of the big changes is the name but in addition to the name change, we've made other great improvements that will help get you to the most up-to-date information available on our website for topics that interest you.
Each month, starting with this issue, you'll get a very abbreviated copy of the newly named Adoption Month E-Magazine in your inbox. This is a notification to let you know that we've published the most recent issue of the E-Magazine on our website for you to view. From that notification, you can click on the tab at the top of the page that best fits your interest and you'll be taken to the customized E-Magazine designed specifically for that topic.
Don't worry! The Adoption Month E-Magazine will have all of the same types of things the previous E-Magazine had, plus great new sections designed with you in mind. Please take a few minutes to check out the Adoption Month E-Magazine, then scroll to the bottom and send us your feedback!
We hope that you enjoy the new Adoption Month E-Magazine as much as we've enjoyed creating it for you.
National Adoption Awareness Month
Each year, November is recognized as National Adoption Awareness Month. While all adoption-related issues are important, the particular focus of this month is the adoption of children currently in foster care. Learn more about the ways you can celebrate National Adoption Awareness Month, visit the 30 Days of Ideas for National Adoption Awareness Month Calendar.
Open Adoption in the Internet Age
Open adoption in this technological age has never been so easy. It’s also never been so difficult to decide how much to share, when to share it and where to share it. Things like Facebook, Twitter, blogs and e-mail make communicating with others a breeze. They also create worry and anxiety at times.
Some adoptive mothers in open adoption have shied away from blogging, not wanting to air their dirty laundry for their child’s birth mother to read. Some birth mothers have shied away from blogging, afraid that if they’re honest about their feelings that they may lose contact with their child’s adoptive parents. Questions arise as to whether or not adoptive and birth parents should friend one another on the various social networking sites. Adoptive mothers may worry that sharing pictures of their child will be too difficult for the birth mother to see on their wall or on a blog. Birth mothers may not know whether they can share those photos or what others will think if they do.
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be complicated. All of the above stated worries are based in the fact that the two parties have not had an open, honest conversation on the topic at hand. No one ever talks about it and so everyone sits around, stagnant with worry and anxiety. To get past that, you need to have a conversation about your online relationships with one another, what is and is not permissible and set some appropriate boundaries.
Don’t be afraid to friend your child’s birth parents or adoptive parents on any of the social networking sites. Don’t be afraid to start a blog. Don’t be afraid to share pictures or be honest. Simply have a discussion before hand, or, if it’s too late and you’re knee deep in all the Web has to offer, have it now. Ask those questions, set some boundaries and really start getting to know one another.
Adopting Blogs from AdoptionBlogs.com
Books to Read: Pregnancy
As I posted yesterday, we're giving away a copy of The Primal Wound by Nancy Verrier. We're hoping that others in the triad will join in the book tour scheduled for next month. While some argue that the book is for adoptees, as they're the ones who have been affected the most by the adoption, still others argue that the book is for adoptive parents who are raising the child. I'm here to argue that while those other points are true, the book is also important for birth parents [more]
More Post-Adoption Related Blogs: Birth Parents Blog | Adoptive Parenting | Open Adoption Blog | Step Parent Adoption | Adoptee Blog
Post-Adoption Community, News & Events
General Adoptive Parent Support - Honesty Regarding Birth Family as Our Son Grows Up
Birth and Adoptive Parents Communication - My Birth mom is Mad I Contacted Half Sister - Help
Birth and Adoptive Parents Communication - Family Health History - Thanksgiving is Coming
Detroit News - Center Helps Kids State With Families
2 Canada - Bill Would Make Adoption More Humane
Birth Parenting
Adoptive Parenting November 14, 2009 Celebrate National Adoption Month
November 20, 2009 Celebration of Life, with Dr. Richard Land
November 21, 2009 National Adoption Day - Contact your local Family Court for information on events in your area
Post-Adoption Tip of the Month
For adoptive parents, adoptees and birth parents involved in open adoption, it's important to remember that communication is key in any relationship. The holidays can be especially hectic and difficult, so if you're feeling neglected in your open adoption relationship, let the other party know. The ability to openly communicate your feelings is just one of the important aspects of open adoption. Listening to, responding to and respecting open communication is an equally important aspect that goes hand in hand with communication. Open adoption doesn't come with a pre-defined rule book and the vast majority of the time, those involved don't have a clear understanding of expectations. Open communication helps define expectations and sets a healthy tone for the open adoption relationship.In Your Words
In Your Words is the newest section of the e-magazine for many of you. Those of you who read the weekly version are accustomed to seeing the "Speak Out" section of each issue, but for those of you touched in other ways, the "In Your Words" section is a brand new addition. This section is your place to speak your mind and talk about matters that are important to you. Do you have a question that you'd like to pose to others with similar adoption interest? Do you have feedback for us? The In Your Words section is just the place to do that.
Since this is our first issue, we didn't have anything to share in this issue, but we look forward to hearing from you for our next issue.
Share Your Thoughts with Us
Have something to share in the next issue of the emag? Please use the form below to tell us about your thoughts, comments, experiences, feedback, etc. Your submission may appear in an upcoming issue of the emag.
