You know and are passionate about the topic, and you love to write. You know how to check your spelling and grammar, and how to construct an article (beginning, middle, end). You are excited about the opportunity to pass along information, experience, and resources. Is this you? Then this is what to do:

Read the following and send your application (described below) to : blogs at adoptionmedia dot com.

Important: The blog is about the topic. Bloggers bring personal experience and knowledge about the topic to the blog and that is the position from which they write, but these are not personal blogs that happen to touch on the topic.

Currently open for... more

It's a photo contest!

Adoption.com is delighted to announce the 2007 "Loved" Photo Contest. $2,000 in prizes! It's on now and photo submissions will be accepted and voted on (members are the judges!) through May 31, 2007.

There are rules:

To submit/vote, you must be a member of our community; Photos must be original non-copyrighted photographs; Photo submissions must be owned by the submitter; No professional studio photos; All photos must be appropriate for family viewing; You may enter as many photographs as you wish; Contest winners will be picked by the members of our community; Adoption.com... more

The Adoption JobSite is a service that matches law and graduate social work students with employers in the fields of adoption and child welfare during the summer. Positions can be paid or volunteer, and the matching service is free.

Although it's late in the year, there is still time for employers to post job and internship openings for summer 2006. Employers also have the ability to interview applicants.

This is an excellent opportunity for both employers and students! Check it out!

The program is managed by the... more

For adopting and placing parents, sometimes even the best pre-adoption education and pre-placement counseling isn't enough preparation for what follows. Thus, it's left to post-adoption service providers to rise to the challenge.

Post-adoption service providers are not just for crisis intervention. They should be part of the planning for every adoption. Whatever the situation, post-adoption support should be in place so that you and your family aren't the ones who wind up with no place to turn when you need help.

Our bloggers have more specific ideas and suggestions, but here are general resources for various types of post-adoption services.

Types... more

Some adopt, slot the child in place, and expect to move on without a ripple in the family pond. Some adopt and immediately look for therapists to deal with anticipated problems. Most fall somewhere in between. But almost all adoptive parents struggle with how and when to talk to their children about adoption. Should they wait for questions? Bring it up? Do the LifeBook thing? Should they have the story ready so there's a pat answer when questions do arise? Should they duck it until some undefined future time when the child is "older?"

In her book, "The Language of Blood," Jane Jeonga Trenka writes,

"My forehead scrunches up, and I feel something like a burn... more

The role of money in adoption has always been a sensitive topic. Mention the words in the same sentence and you're sure to get a wide range of reactions. Questions are raised about what money is for, where it goes, and in the case of international adoptions, money that goes to "undetermined" recipients in a foreign country. More disturbing, money may be given literally in exchange for a child.

A recent story in the press about a baby-selling ring operated by Bulgarians in Greece is very clearly "baby-selling." Pregnant women were brought into Greece from Bulgaria, and when they gave birth, the babies were sold. Flat out.... more

Conference: New York, October 13-14, 2006

St. John’s University Manhattan Campus 101 Murray Street New York, NY 10007

This conference, hosted by St. John’s University, will focus on transracial and transcultural adoption. Our continually growing conference will feature two days of speakers, workshops and presentations. There will be a screening and discussion of several films Friday evening.

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Ruth McRoy Dr. Amanda Baden Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao Dr. Betty Jean Lifton Dr. John Raible Hollee McGinnis (MSSW) Sue Harris (MSW)

For... more

"Telling the Truth to Your Adopted or Foster Child: Making Sense of the Past", by Betsy Keefer and Jayne E. Schooler

Pros: • Exceptional tools • Addresses the toughest situations • A how-to for truth with love

Cons: • Few references for talking with disabled kids

Summary: An exceptional book that helps adoptive and foster parents understand why the whole truth is important and how to talk about it.

Review: Healing and Bonding With Truth

The... more

When I first started talking to people about adoption a little more than three decades ago, I wished I knew more about it. (I've been a huge fan of Dr. Joyce Maguire Pavao's comment, "If you know one adoption, you know one adoption.") I set out to learn as much as I could, and of course I'm still learning... because each adoption experience is unique, and each individual's reaction to the same set of circumstances is different... so of course, I can learn a lot, but I'll never know as much as I would like.

One of the things I like so much about these blogs is that our bloggers bring us their stories, the issues, and knowledge gathered from their "one" experiences and... more

Will robot babies be a part of future homestudies? I hear that "hmpf," but hold on a sec before you click off to read something else.

In 1999, Sony introduced AIBO... the robot dog. Remember him? He went through generational upgrades and from what I understand, more than half a million were sold. (There was even some question as to whether pet therapy, which has helped both the elderly and children and adults with challenges, could be as effective with a robot dog as it is with a live pet.)

An easy leap from robot dog to robot human, in 2002, Sony announced plans to market (for a cool $60,000 or so) a child-like... more