Birthday, Mom-Style
The slow creep started a couple of weeks ago. I often blame it on the days getting shorter. As summer evenings begin to cool and the days grow shorter, at…
The Dangers of Adoptees as Blessings
First published by Red Letter Christians— “You’re God’s gift to us.” “God brought us together.” “It was God’s will for you to join our family.” Have you ever said things like…
Celebrating Birth Mother’s Day
Mother’s Day can be hard—for other reasons besides missing my mom. That’s because I have another mom—the woman who raised me for my first nine months in utero. She delivered…
Little Fires Everywhere—An Adult Adoptee’s Reflections: Giving Away Precious
Both the Hulu series and book by Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere, have sparked a blaze in me as I devoured both from the perspective of an adult adoptee, mother, daughter,…
Little Fires Everywhere—An Adult Adoptee’s Reflections: Narcissism and Mother-Blaming
Both the Hulu series and book by Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere, have sparked a blaze in me as I devoured both from the perspective of an adult adoptee, mother, daughter,…
Little Fires Everywhere—An Adult Adoptee’s Reflections: Surrogacy
Both the Hulu series and book by Celeste Ng, Little Fires Everywhere, have sparked a blaze in me as I devoured both from the perspective of an adult adoptee, mother,…
Fearful Adoptees & the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Guide for Parents
First published by Lavender Luz—As a child, I embodied the role of Fearful Adoptee as if it were a paid Broadway gig. Fretting? Check. Nail-biting? Nailed it. Teeth grinding? In…
“Real” Talk in Adoption
First published by Lavender Luz—“I’m going to find my real mom!” I shouted at my adoptive mother when I was teenager. I’d learned that this hurt my adoptive mom’s feelings,…