[NancyAshe]

Before getting started helping others grow in their understanding of and involvement with adoption, it's wise to make sure we have the basics covered in our own understanding. Can you answer these 6 questions well enough to be able to explain them to someone else?

What is adoption? Answer.
Who can adopt? Answer.
How high/low are adoption costs and fees? Answer.
What are the types of adoption? Answer.
Who are the "waiting" children? Answer.
What does "special needs" mean? Answer.

More resources to help answer questions:

Articles:
- Gracious Answers to Awkward Questions About Our Adopted Kids
- Questions Come With the Territory
- Talking with Children About Adoption
- Unsolicited Comments
- Classic Comebacks to Annoying Things People Say

Books:
- How I Was Adopted
- Be My Baby: Parents and Children Talk about Adoption
- Talking With Young Children About Adoption
- Adoption is a Family Affair: What Relatives and Friends Must Know
- Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew

[BrandyHagz]

Nancy,

Thanks for posting this information…

There was a post on the forums a week or so ago where someone was “educating” the uneducated…and the whole basis of the education on domestic adoption was centered on the “Big Bad Birthmother” stereotype.

I wish there was more we could do to change this negative stereotype…its so insulting.

Maybe my next writing project will focus on dispelling the myths of the “Big Bad Birthmother”…

Again, thanks for blogging about it!

[michellemartin]

OK I got em all but the who can adopt and the fees. I think the fees range a really whole lot depending on who you work through and I think anyone who passes a home study can adopt. I'll look into the articles when I have more time tonight. I still have to rake those leaves!