Adoption

I’ve been thinking a lot about adoption in the past few weeks, namely my own which occurred January 16, 1952, nine months after I was born. I'm trying to open adoption records right now that have been kept closed by a tri-consent law in the State of California.

There are some people who should adopt and some people who should never be allowed to even hold a baby much less adopt one. My adopted parents fit into the second category.

But adoption is a very important part of our cultural needs. Without adoption, we would see a resurgence of orphanages, and for us, a nation of plenty, the mental picture of orphanages is too much for us to handle as a culture.

There’s a new book out on adoption. Here’s the media release: Adoption, 21st Century Style:

The Art of Finding and Bringing Home the Child Who's Right for You

An authoritative new book explains how adoption has changed in the Internet Age--and how playing by the new rules can help you finally complete your family.

Nevada City, CA (May 2005)--Adoption has changed. The process that once seemed cold, secretive, and formal has been transformed. Sure, adoptive parents must still deal with waiting lists, reams of legal paperwork, visits from social workers. But the heartening truth is, the entire process has become faster, less costly, more open, more human. And while there are many reasons for this friendlier new face of adoption, one of the biggest may surprise you.

The Internet. That's right. The world of hard drives, URLs, and bandwidth can yield a decidedly un-technical result: a deeply cherished bundle of joy.

Successful adoptions are all about information, communication, and resources, and that makes the Web a natural tool for bringing families together, says adoption professional Mardie Caldwell, C.O.A.P.

In her exciting new book, Adoption: Your Step-by-Step Guide (American Carriage House Publishing, 2005, ISBN: 0-9705734-2-1, $34.95), Caldwell offers practical, easy-to-follow guidelines for anyone who is thinking of adopting a child.

"In the past several years I have seen the adoption community develop a substantial presence on the Internet," she writes. "It has connected adoptive parents to agencies and facilitators, lawyers and social workers. It has created a thriving online community of adoption professionals and enthusiasts. Without the Internet, many thousands of families would not have found the children who have made each of their lives wonderfully complete."

Caldwell's book presents a comprehensive list of more than 1,200 "hotlinks"--online adoption resources that range from private and public agencies, to chat rooms, to birth mother profiles, to attorneys. But the other part of the book may be even more useful: it's packed with simple techniques and how-to advice that greatly improve readers' odds of finding and bringing home the child who's right for them. (Post later)