Continuing to follow changes to India's adoption program I've been writing about for a while now, India adoptions authority, the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) has submitted a draft of amended adoption guidelines to the Ministry for Women and Child Development.

The "Guidelines on Adoption of Indian Children Without Parental Care -- 2007" proposes changes... more

I'm starting today off with numbers ... the number of children adopted in a year worldwide.

Any guesses?

Somewhere around a quarter of a million would be about right -- 250,000.

Sound like a lot?

It's 1.5% of the estimated 16 million orphans placed in care each year, and 85% take place within the country of the child's birth.

In the US?

125,000, or about half of the total number of adoptions... more

Or: Why it occasionally looks like Sandra goes out of her way to annoy some people.

If you're approaching the international adoption world from somewhere out there where it all seems reasonable, clear-cut and simple, sooner or later you are bound to come up against brick walls intentionally built to make the process sound either impossible, immoral, unethical, or otherwise a generally bad idea.

As an adoptive parent, an advocate for children and for adoption, and a blogger for Adoption.com, it is my responsibility... more

A story in today's news, although heartwarming and hopeful, has me feeling more than a bit sad.

The focus is on adults adopted from Viet Nam as children who are now returning to their birth country for their own children, noting that agencies dealing with adoptions from the country are reporting a growing number of parents are "making the same trip their adoptive parents took more than three decades ago."

There... more

International adoptive parents, either in the process or with kids long home, will be interested to note that the USCIS has released a new schedule of fees that go into effect on the 30th of July.

With an increase in charges on the way, many parents who have been debating the merits of the Certificate of Citizenship ... some see this document as vital while others insist it's not necessary ... are deciding now to go ahead with the process... more

Not new news, but another take on some countries banning overweight people from adopting children, this one from Australia, points out that South Korea, Taiwan and China have all decided that hopeful parents of a certain girth need not apply, citing the reasoning as wanting, "the most stable and harmonious environment" for children.

Excuse me, but … ahem … horse hockey.

I don't care what sort of tidy health-by-the-numbers... more

With International Adoption as much about the wider world as it is about our little families ... or not so little, in some cases ... the idea of our travel as a benefit to others fits well.

With all the talk now of our carbon footprint and how air travel increases the negative impact an individual leaves, the thought of taking off for distant points now seems to require a bit more contemplation.

Traveling to bring our kids home is non-negotialbe for... more

As I've mentioned, we're planning a trip to Cambodia in August. We travel long distances often, so don't feel compelled to engrave our trip in stone way in advance. There's plenty of time to book tickets and accommodation, and we trust that where we end up staying is where we were meant to be and that timing will work out just as it should.

Such a cavalier attitude, however, did not stop me from sitting up straighter and paying great attention when ... more

As with every sort of journey, at some point someone had to take the first step, and like in human migrations from Africa toward the Russian Steppes, then across the Bering Straights to North America and eventually the corner nearest you, the international adoption journey has pioneers, as well.

Sometimes, it's familiarity with a certain country that instigates investigation into adoption where no program has yet been tried or tested. In other circumstances, it's an awareness of tremendous need that prompts a family... more

Things have been running so hot and heavy on this blog for a while that I figure it's time for a bit of a breather, a little levity, a jigger of jocularity ... and a darned fine example of the humor some adoptive parents manage to create out of the dense ether of an Internet group dedicated to support, communication and fair interchange. Background:

A while back, in one of my more snitty moods, partially brought on by the aforementioned hot and heaviness, I responded to a post on the ... more