[StorkWatcher]

Hi, Blessed Be - you're one of my favorite people on this forum. You always have good things to add to topics in a very supportive and positive manner. It seems you would be very valuable to have as facilitator or even just a part of a support group.

During the wait, I was hoping that our agency would go back to having a support group which met quarterly, although it didn't happen. Monthly meetings would be nice, but maybe too much for people to attend all the time, yet good for people who might miss a quarterly meeting session and be able to meet up with others on a schedule more convenient to them.

I'd thought of having meetings in different churches (just because many don't charge a fee or charge a small fee for renting rooms) or in nice weather at parks or at our agency.

One tip - during a meeting for waiting parents, we got to hear from/talk to a couple who had recently adopted. It was a very good experience. And while the birthmom who'd been scheduled to speak couldn't make it, we did get to see 2 videos of other birthmoms talking about their experience. It completely changed how I viewed open adoption.

Now that I'm finding myself here for my support group, getting to speak and learn from birthmoms has given me a lot of insight and compassion as an adoptive mom. I love being able to interact with all sorts of people here.

We adopted domestically. While most of the local support groups I've found nearby are for international adoptions, I didn't feel I could join one. I have been trying to learn more about the international route on these boards and find that just like everything else, adoption has few boundaries - there are many similarties no matter what country/type of adoption you're involved in. I welcome talking to people with these different experiences.

I also know that some agencies around us have an annual picnic that adoptive and birthfamilies can attend. It sounds like fun.