Why I’m Fighting for Same-Sex Parenting Through Open Adoption

This guest post is by Trey Darnell, an adoptive father.

It is hard to fathom that it has been two and a half years since we decided to become parents through an open adoption. In February 2014, we were able to finalize our adoption of Harper in Washington County, Tennessee.

You might wonder why I mention the county and state. Living in Washington County and in the state of Tennessee, we are not provided any protections being a same-sex couple or Harper’s two dads.

Today is an enormous and important day for my family and me. The Supreme Court of the United States will hear arguments regarding the constitutionality of state laws that prohibit marriage equality to the LGBT community.

Tennessee is one of the four states that will have their case argued in front of what we refer to as the “Supremes”. There is a lot of forward movement and expectations that equality for our family will become reality. Continue reading →

Why I Chose Open Adoption For My Baby

This guest post is by Makena, a birthmother.

As a high school student and one of a handful of birth mothers in Idaho with an open adoption, explaining my situation to friends and acquaintances is complicated.

How many high school girls know what a birth mother is? Not enough, to be honest.

For many people, open adoption is a scary concept because it’s new and a different type of adoption than they’re used to.

So why did I choose to place my son in an open adoption? The real question is how could I not have placed him?

If I were parenting him right now, this is how it would be: I would go to school during the day and work in the evenings. Mason would be in daycare all day.

We would be barely financially stable. Mason doesn’t sleep at night so I wouldn’t get any sleep either. Continue reading →

10 Emotions You Will Face While Waiting to Adopt—And How to Cope

This guest post is by Rachel Garlinghouse, an adoptive parent and author

As we composed Encouragement for the Adoption and Parenting Journey: 52 Devotions and a Journal, we were taken back to our waiting days. Those never-ending, relentless days.

Between the two of us, we have waited six times (and counting) for “the call” that would tell us we were parents by adoption. Each adoption was different, but there was something that remained consistent: the emotions we faced. Continue reading →

How Can I Love A Child Who Is Not My Own Flesh And Blood? The Answer Is Simple

This guest post is by Angela Boucher, an adoptive mother.

It’s a question I’ve been asked many times — by my closest friends, by my mother and most importantly, by my son’s birthmother: “How do you know you will love a child who is not your own flesh and blood?”

For me, the answer is simple: My journey to motherhood may have been unimaginable, but the love I had for my son always existed!

Let me explain: I was raised in a large Italian Catholic family. My mother was one of seven children and my father was one of five children.

My parents instilled in me the belief that with hard work, commitment and dedication, you will be able to get everything you want out of life.

I naturally assumed that after I got married I would be able to start a family. It never crossed my mind that it would not happen for me as it did for everyone else in my family. Continue reading →