Summer Reading: Most Popular Articles

I write.  A lot.

Here are some of my most popular articles from 2015, not necessarily adoption-related.  But you'll be more well-rounded if you read about a variety of subjects, right?

To The Lady Who Called My Toddler a Thug  (this was syndicated on Fatherly, The Good Men Project, and My Brown Baby)

Dear Fellow Mom:  Stop Whining and Get in the Damn Pool

The One Thing You Should Say to an Adoptive Family

Happy reading, Sugars!

Let's Talk About Superheroes, Diabetes, and Mother's Day

Hi, Sugars!

I hope you all are enjoying spring!

Here's some spring reading:

To The Women Who Birthed My Children: Mother's Day Is For You, Too

10 Perks to Having Type 1 Diabetes

What's So Super About Minimizing Black Girls?

Have a great week, Sugars!

Huff Post: To the Lady Who Called My Toddler a Thug

I'm so thrilled to share with you my article on Huffington Post!   I'd love to know what you think!

Make Your Home a Reflection of Your Family

When it comes to transracial adoption:

Love isn't enough.

Love doesn't conquer all.

But love, of course, is important, crucial, vital.  It's life-giving, confidence-inducing, foundation-building.

(Shout out to Christina Romo, the Not So Angry Asian Adoptee, for her Huff-Post adoption article boasting of similar sentiments!)

There are several things that are very important when adopting transracially (all of which are detailed in COME RAIN OR COME SHINE: A WHITE PARENT'S GUIDE TO ADOPTING AND PARENTING BLACK CHILDREN):

• Having a diverse group of friends.  Real friends.
• Seeking support from your child's racial community in areas you are struggling in: hair care, for example.
• Living, worshiping, playing, working, and educating in a diverse community.
• Raising your child to be a child of color by engaging, on a regular basis, with people of your child's community and being educated on issues that affect your child's racial community.
• Standing up to injustice.
• Being open and honest and empathetic with your children about adoption and race.

One way to support your child racially is to make sure he or she sees faces like theirs within the home (the place where he/she will spend a lot of time and it will be their "soft place to fall" at the end of every day).   

My children LOVE seeing someone who is, in their words, "brown like me."  My kids are very proud of their brown skin and their intricate hairstyles.  We've made it a priority to make our home a place that reflects our love of our multi-racial family.  

Here's a photo tour of some of the literature, art, toys, and textiles around our home.

No i-Pads, Adoption Burnout, Stop Saying These Things to My Kids, Silence in Response to Ignorance, Popular Adoption Sayings That Make Me Groan, and more...

Hi, Sugars!

I've been crazy-busy-swamped lately.  I have the adult acne breakout and a dwindling chocolate stash to prove it.

You can read Why My Kids Didn't Get an iPad for Their Birthdays (Again) over at Babble, Disney's parenting site.    Maybe some of you can relate to my iPhone addiction?

I've also been writing for Scary Mommy.  My latest piece is 9 Things I Wish People Would Stop Saying to My Black Children.  Whew.  The comments on that post are polarizing...to say the least.  What do you think?  (And if you haven't read it yet, check out my Scary Mommy article shared by Huffington Post Parents:  We're a Real Family, Thank You Very Much)

I've also been contributing regularly over at adoption.net.  I want you to know, if you are experiencing adoption burnout, you aren't alone.  Silence is one way to respond to racial ignorance in adoption.  Do you have any popular adoption sayings you cannot stand?  Here's a list of mine (and why they are EW!).

The best news...

My third book is coming out this spring (co-authored with the talented and wise Madeleine Melcher).  Madeleine is a mother by adoption (x3) and an adoptee, as well as an adoption profile creation specialist, and author.  And let me tell you, there is nothing else like our book on the market.  It's the book I wish I would have had in my hands when I started on our adoption journey over seven years ago.   I CANNOT WAIT TO SHARE IT WITH YOU!     The encouragement you will receive from this book is going to be mind-blowing, invigorating, and necessary.  

Back to mothering my three baby sugars and polishing the manuscript!  And figuring out what's for dinner....and sorting laundry....