In writing about Vietnamese adult adoptees adopting from their birth country, I came across this study that I would love to give you more of, but can't because the full text costs $35 to access. What I do have, however, is the abstract.

This short summation of what is certain to be a long and detailed research article put together by a doctoral candidate at the University of Pittsburgh highlights a study of adult international adoptees ... only 82 of them, however, in a Web-based survey ... who talk about the, "relationship between parental support for cultural socialization and its effect on adoptees' self-esteem."

"Cultural continuity" apparently the buzz phrase, the results are said to show a positive relationship between cultural socialization and self-esteem in Asian-born adoptees, and that a 'feeling of belongingness' is a good thing.

Duh.

There may be a heck of a lot more to this, so if anyone is tempted to pay the $35 to read the whole thing, please let us know if there's anything astonishing.

Kidsave.org has brought eighty orphans from Columbia to the US for what is hoped will be pre-adoption visits.

In typical TV news shorthand, the story looks like this:

The orphans have been set up with new families. They'll now go to live with them to see if the adoption will work out.

Yikes! Who writes this stuff?

A couple of stories from Japan point out well that many aspects of parenting are more international than many would like.

This one talks about the problems school boards have with some parents, and Boy Howdy!, do they have 'em.

Like the mother of a perpetual truant who called the school daily to complain that the kid's teacher didn't visit her house every day.

One board of education in Tokyo is suggesting that some parents should "... meet clinical psychotherapists based at the ward's education center." In other words, they need some serious help?

A manuel has been put out that breaks parents down into ten types, from genuinely trying to make useful suggestions, those complaining because they are doting parents, and those who become offensive if they feel their views are being ignored.

Anyone want to teach in Japan?

And it looks like the sort of pressures causing the problems in schools are spilling over into other areas of parenting and resulting in record cases of child abuse in Japan.

Almost half of the cases involved babies and toddlers.