Here are adoption statistics for the state of OH that were printed in the Akron Beacon Journal on line. The link to the article is if you would like to read for yourself.

I find it interesting that the number of adoptions is declining. I wonder what the state of Ohio contributes this to. I wonder if there are state wide programs available to mothers who may consider adoption to encourage them to keep and raise their children.

Another thought... more

Vilsack, 56, was adopted shortly after birth and has spoken of growing up in a family where his adoptive mother struggled with alcoholism and his adoptive father had financial setbacks. He has used his past as an example of rising above adversity, but the latest development could add detail to the story.

This article discusses the Iowa governor and his possible search for his birth mother. The irony never... more

Although Elf is not a new release, I had not viewed it yet. However, since it was on television over the weekend, I decided to check it out. I figured any movie featuring 6ft. 3 in (or so) Will Farrell (Buddy) in an elf costume had to be fairly funny.

Elf is the movie version of a most atypical search and reunion. The movie is atypical for a search and reunion for many reasons. Buddy really had no need to search. He was given his birth father's name, photo and an address, so a search was unnecessary. Not too many adoptees just skip the usual... more

A news series of articles on natural mothers is to be published in the Detroit News this week. It is a three part series set to run on the front page. If you are not in the area, you can find the Detroit News online at www.detnews.com.

The series is headlined as Empty Arms, Empty Heart and is slated to run on Page 1A of the Detroit News on Tuesday and then today, Thursday December 21st. The articles are being written by Marney Rich Keenan who is a regular columnist with the Detroit News who did a review on Ann Fessler’s... more

The boys in the neighborhood gave the place its nickname. They would catcall to the big-bellied girls who looked like they were hiding a watermelon under their dress, so they became known as the girls of Watermelon Hill.

Ann Fessler's book, The Girls Who Went Away got the ball rolling, and the stories just keep on surfacing. Stories like this one. I have talked... more

As I have written about several time this month, November is National Adoption Month. On the ABC talk show, earlier this week, The View had a segment dedicated to adoption.

There are over a half million children waiting for a home to call their own and The View welcomed a few of the faces of foster care and the families who have opened their hearts and lives to come and share their inspiring and heartwarming stories.

One of the guest, Victoria Rowell, who was a special guest co host on the show and is also an actress talked about her life... more

At the link http://www.uexpress.com/dearabby/?uc_full_date=20060910 you can read a letter that was sent to Dear Abby regarding a natural mother who relinquished a child to adoption 4 years ago and asking for advice on how to tell future children of the child that was relinquished to adoption.

Did Abby misunderstand the question? The natural mother was really asking for support and information on how to tell her children, not whether to tell them. The response that was written... more

One of the first books I read before I actively started my search was The Other Mother by Carol Schaefer. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this excellent read, it is an awesome book and truly helped me to cross the threshold of thinking about searching to actively searching.

When I completed this book, there was a listing of 5 support groups in the back of the book and I immediately called the closest one to me (PA) which was in FL. I believe the group was called People Searching News and they referred me to two local search and support... more

In class, the day following the first presentation, students besieged Wilmer with questions. It turned out that three-fourths of Wilmer’s mass media class had personal knowledge of adoption through a close friend or family member and they had many comments and questions. The power of the spoken word, whether in-person or mediated, is tremendous.

The program varies with interest and availability of speakers. Speakers who discussed positive aspects of their adoption experience, either because they found or received “family” as a result, prompted... more

Alison Larkin, in a recent article mentioned how guilty she felt after giving birth to her first child.

"Unlike the mother who raised me, I got to grow my own baby. Unlike the mother who gave me birth, I got to keep it."

Alison is an adoptee who performs a one-woman comedy routine called, "The English American". She plays herself, her adoptive mother, and her birth mother in her hilarious performance. The especially poignant comment above was made after the birth of her first child. When she had trouble getting... more