I'm tempted to kick myself for making much of Mirah (aka Marsha) Riben's latest spew of mediocre pap designed to turn Mothers Day into a drive-by slapping.

Please don't misunderstand; I'm not regretting pointing out the poor quality of the prose, even though the simpy writing does speak for itself, or her agenda-encumbered POV that reduces any part of the big picture to the narrowest of misleading apertures.... more

It's not been long since I felt compelled to address a poorly composed bit of tripe from anti-adoption swill-tosser and Origins co-founder Mirah (aka Marsha) Riben.

The last time, she was slinging words that accused international adoptive parents of being racists and perpetrators of "cultural genocide".

(For a look at this from an cultural anthropologists view, ... more

I decided early this morning that today's post would be a catch-up on bits of adoption news floating around my desk. When I learned that another power cut was in the cards for a better part of the day, that settled it. Writing anything deeper without the ability to bounce around the Net researching isn't how I like to work, so a good little tidy sounded even better ... my blogging equivalent to some light dusting.

Little did I know I'd end up in tears.

As is far too often really obvious, adoptive parents get a lot... more

This thought process started here. International adoptive parents' desire to bring as much birth culture as possible into the life of their children is nobel and respectful, but no matter how much you strive to duplicate native foods, celebrate important holidays or practice ancient dance in traditional dress, you can't help but be missing most of the basic of basics your kids would be have been experiencing.

Although... more

As international adoptive parents, we're all well aware that our children are growing up differently than they would in their countries of birth. They're learning a different language, dressing differently, becoming accustomed to foods they well might otherwise never have come across in a lifetime, and learning to turn their noses up at things that might have been considered tasty treats ... ... more

Two unrelated topics in one post! Hey! How do I do that? Why do I do that? Today, because I wanted to give the link that has all the low down on the "Final Rule" of the USCIS Application and Petition fee schedule, which also has information about the public comments collected on the proposal. It makes for interesting, if depressing, reading.

And I'm sorry to be getting to this a bit late in the month, but... more

The first section of the interview with Kari Grady Grossman, author of "Bones That Float, A Story of Adopting Cambodia is here. The second part is here.

SHB: Project 20 years ahead ... what will life be like for the average... more

The first section of the interview with Kari Grady Grossman, author of "Bones That Float, A Story of Adopting Cambodia is here.

SHB: Are there any actions people can take to encourage the reopening of Cambodian adoptions for Americans?

KGG:

My understanding is that this is now in the hands of the Cambodian... more

I've mentioned and reviewed Kari Grady Grossman's book "Bones That Float, A Story of Adopting Cambodia", and recently had the opportunity to interview the author in the course of an international blog book tour.

As this was coming about, a story broke from Cambodia... more

Whether you're considering international adoption, in the process, or have already adopted, global issues of adoption may be ... should be ... of even greater interest and concern than for the regular man-on-the-street without direct connections. Our children do not appear out of a vacuum, but become available for adoption through circumstances that vary widely, but often have similar themes. Poverty, war, disease, starvation, upheaval, death ... all make their dark mark and destroy lives and hopes and dreams and options. How organizations funded... more