“Although it was many years ago, I still remember it better than yesterday. I was probably five or six. We had been out past my bedtime and I had fallen asleep on the long ride home. Upon arriving home I awakened, but did not stir. Instead I did what is sometimes typical of children: I played “possum.” I pretended to be asleep so that someone would carry me into the house and put me to bed.

Dad was a genuinely kind man. He had an active work life as a postal carrier, delivering mail and walking typically 4-5 miles each workday. It wasn’t in his nature to say many cross words to another person. Even though he had worked hard and was probably exhausted after a long day, Dad still picked up his tired son, carried him into the house, and put him to bed.”

To read the rest of the blog click here: Jim and Amy Hoping to Adopt

The Declassified Adoptee blog recently wrote a piece about the bankruptcy incident and the serious issues it raises, including rights for both adoptees and birth families. Among them are rights and protections the Independent Adoption Center has long advocated for. They include:

• Legally enforceable Open Adoption Agreements – IAC’s own Kathleen Silber has written, “Open adoption agreements don’t hinder the relationship in any way; they simply outline what the parties themselves have agreed to.” These agreements preserve the rights of all members of the adoption triad.
• Adoptee access to original Birth Certificates – Every person should have access to their original birth certificate and family records. This is a matter of civil rights and human dignity, to say nothing of the medical and legal aspects. Legislators in Texas should make immediate moves to end this discrimination against adoptees.

What do you think of the ASA situation in Texas, and what would you like to tell legislators about adoptee and birthparent rights? Let us know in the comments.

Life is a challenge, meet it! 

Life is a dream, realize it!

Life is a game, play it! 

Life is Love, enjoy it! 

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Ready, Set, Go! It’s time for your next challenge on the new reality show, Survivor: the adoption series. You will be tested in the areas of endurance, strength, agility, problem solving, teamwork, dexterity, and willpower all with the hope that at the end of your journey that you will be united with the child you are meant to raise. ARE YOU READY?

When my husband and I began our adoption journey earlier this year, we were asked to describe the process of becoming approved and certified through our agency, the Independent Adoption Center. To us, the process is very much like the challenges that contestants endure on the reality series, Survivor. 

To those who might not be familiar with the show, Survivor is a reality-based television  show produced in many countries. On the show, participants are isolated in the wilderness and compete for cash and other prizes. During the course of the game, players compete as tribes or individually in contests called challenges. Challenges consist of various activities that test the contestant’s endurance, strength, agility, problem solving, teamwork, dexterity, and willpower, and are usually designed to fit the theme of the current season.

The commonality, or theme, that many of you reading this have in common with us is that we all hope to adopt a child. Unlike the show, our version of Survivor is reality. We all have hearts overflowing with love for a child or children we have yet to meet. Our tribes might include our spouse, partner, or we may tackle the journey on our own. And let’s talk about those challenges! Background checks, fingerprinting, income verification, driving records, physical exams, letters of reference, questionnaires, and a home visit are facilitated by our Tribal Council, consisting of the office manager and adoption coordinator at our agency. On the show, a jury decides a contestant’s fate, kind of like the social worker or adoption coordinator who is put in charge of one’s home visit and pieces together all the potential adoptive parents’ paperwork to make sure the parent or parents are qualified to bring a child into their home. Though the process is tedious, I think most adoptive parents agree that the process of seeking approval from their agency is well worth their efforts. I personally wish that anyone thinking about raising a child should have to go through this process. At the end of the show, contestants are awarded prizes, much like adoptive parents when they are blessed with a child.

As the lyrics from the song Survivor by the musical group Destiny’s Child state:

I’m a survivor (What?)
I’m not gon give up (What?)
I’m not gon stop (What?)
I’m gon work harder (What?)
I’m a survivor (What?)
I’m gonna make it (What?)
I will survive (What?)
Keep on survivin’ (What?)

To all the potential adoptive parents out there, you will survive the demanding process of approval, and I wish you well!

About the author:
Carrie Bedwell, and her husband Rob, are IAC clients waiting to adopt their first child. They reside in Hobart, Indiana and are excited to start their family through open adoption. If you would like to learn more about them visit: http://www.iheartadoption.org/users/carriebedwell or watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO4YfQe9U3w&feature=share
If you want to follow them on their adoption journey, tune in to their blog: http://carriebedwell.wordpress.com/