Disastrous age to start talking about adoption...

Talking about adoption to your child can be tricky.  If you talk about it to your child, they will have more questions to ask which can be difficult to answer at times.  But, if you don't answer, you may be violating their trust as well.  So, how do you deal with it?  This video explains how...  Happy adoption journey.

5 Unique tips to bond with your adopted child...

Some adoptive children go through such difficult growing up years that they carry a lot of baggage which requires special awareness and interventions to help them overcome.  No two adoptive children are same so every parent has to learn to look at their child from their child's angle to understand and address his/ her unique challenges.  

Guess, how many children are there in India to adopt?

Often prospective adoptive parents (PAP's) wait for years to adopt a child in/ from India.  They invariably wonder about the reasons for this inordinate delay when there are hundreds and thousands of children languish in children's homes.  The answer lies in the definition of 'free for adoption' in Juvenile and Justice Act ( JJ Act).  This video below breaks down the definition to help you make an informed decision.  Happy adoption journey...

Best Indian state to adopt a child...

A decision to adopt a child in/ from India can be stressful because numerous unknown variables.  There is no authentic material to read.  Well... wait no more.  Here is the information given for the first time by the Government of India in a report format (Jena Report) and we have broken it down in to small nuggets in a video format.  Hope you find this information useful to make an informed decisions on your adoption journey.  Happy adoption journey...

What is the difference between 'Disruption' and 'Dissolution' of adoption?

As hard as it is to hear about adoption being disrupted or annulled, it is better for a child not to live in an environment that is not conducive for his happiness and development.  To address this, CARA has developed provisions either for disruption or dissolution of adoption.  This video below explains all about that and more.

Three ways to prevent disruption/ dissolution of adoption

If you have not heard of terminology called 'Disruption' and 'Dissolution' in the sphere of adoption, be aware that they are there in the latest adoption regulations - 2017.  As the terminology sounds, it is to do with the interruption of adoption and termination of adoption respectively.   

Should India allow people in 'Live-In' relationship to adopt a child?

Today (15th June, 2018) in 'The Hindu' newspaper, there is an article about Central Adoption Resource Authority - CARA, a statutory body governing the adoption of children in/ from India, rejecting people in live-in relationship from adopting children.

How to start and talk positively about the birth family? (Q and A)

My wife and I had learned early in our adoption journey that talking about birth family is something that we have to do no  matter what.  We were fortunate to have met a Korean adoptee in our pre-adoption counselling that helped us immensely who advised us not to panic when my children ask about their birth families. 

Which Child is eligible for adoption?

Often people have this myth that there are so many children growing up in children's homes and it shouldn't take very long to adopt a child.  The fact is this:  Misunderstanding of eligibility of a child for adoption.  This blogpost discusses about which child is eligible (for adoption) and who is not.   

Is it appropriate to have a price tag for child adoptions?

We've all heard of the adage that "where there is no cost, there is no value" and that may be true in terms of commodities but how does it sound if it has to be applied to a human life?  

I can bet that you didn't talk about this issue to your adoptive child yet...

The Hague adoption convention prescribes that all the adoptive parents undergo 'pre-adoption counselling'.  In that, it is emphasized that child ought to be informed about his/ her adoption as it is their life story.  When we start talking about adoption to a child, the process gets into the motion and the cycle goes on.

Global orphan (a story of human rights violation)

Read this story of an Indian girl who was adopted when she was only three months old by an American family but now after almost 30 years later she is about to be deported to India.  Who is responsible for this injustice?  

What is 'Best Interest of the Child' means anyway?

In Juvenile Justice System, a phrase "Best Interest of the Child" is used very often but many people do not understand the gravity of that phrase.  This following post will attempt to make it plain and simple.  

5 most popular myths & facts about adoption and adoptive children

Like any family, adoptive families too have their own share of belief systems about their adoptive children.  Myth is something that you believe in but not necessarily true. We'll address the five most popular myths in India.   

4 alternatives to banning of current inter-country adoptions

Recently Supreme Court of India had asked the Government of India why inter-country adoptions cannot be banned in response to a petition filed by an NGO.  Obviously, the petitioner had seen somethings that he/ she feels that only banning inter-country adoption is a viable solution, or is it??

Is pre-adoption counselling a solution to curb corruption in adoption?

Recently when an adoption agency was exposed in the Indian media for receiving money in guise of donation, adoptive parents (who made the payment) claimed innocence of not knowing the rules and stated that they were in a hurry to complete the process so they didn't mind paying when they were asked to do so.

5 reasons why Indians are not open to adopting special needs children

Few years ago when my family and I attended 'India Camp' - camp for all the children adopted from India through Dillon International, in Tulsa, OK, I noticed an older than middle aged white woman pushing a young lady of Indian origin of about 12 years of age in a wheel chair around.

Adoption Teleconference

I am planning to conduct an adoption teleconference. I would like to listen to the potential participants to tell me what they would like to know/ listen to. So I've created a Google Moderator.

If you're a potential participant in such a teleconference, take a minute to help me plan and prioritize my presentation. Feel free to write your own question if you have one that you want me to answer during my presentation.

Link: http://www.google.com/moderator/#16/e=bcb5e

Movie Time?

Do you and your family have a family movie night or thought of bringing one back to your family? If so, tonight may be a great night to start! There is a movie playing on FOX called, ""Change of Plans" and it pleasingly has to do with adopting.

Flip your channel, if need be, at 8:00 p.m Eastern /7:00 p.m. western and sit back with your favorite snack and fam to watch!
If you know of others who have been contemplating adoption or are still a little wary, spread the word. I of course haven’t seen this yet but the advertisement reads that it is encouraging. Who knows, it may even bring up some great discussions within your own family, even if you have already been on the wonderful journey of adoption.
Word is that right after the movie there is even a live “clickcast” where you can discuss and ask questions, just go to www.familiesforall.org, experts on adoption will be available to answer your questions or you can even ask live on Facebook(familiesforall.org).
If you happen to have other plans already in place this evening it should be possible to catch this show later on by visiting Wal-Mart. They are said to carry, in store, the movies they bring to television once they have already shown.

Jonathan's reunion with his birth family

Here is a story of a little boy - Jonathan, who went missing years ago and was adopted by a Swedish family. Jonathan's desire to be reunited with his biological parents brought him back to India.

Last month when I went to the media to help us restore a child, first phone call I received was from a retired assistant commissioner of police (Mr. Lavakumar) in Bangalore and he gave me some clues that ended up being the accurate ones and we restored the child. This story of Jonathan is shared by the same police commissioner who was working then as a police officer and restored Jonathan back to his family.

Please click on the 'Full Screen' icon on the top of the view box or zoom buttons at the bottom of the view box to adjust your reading for clear view.

Jonathan's Story