Children of All Nations Adoption Blog: December 19, 2012

Happy Holidays CAN Families,

I love helping families at the beginning of their adoption journey.  There are many prospective adoptive parents who have done extensive research before calling (which is wonderful!), but it is always good to know current information on international adoption.  Sometimes, families have found adoption myths in their research, and I’d like to discuss some of those adoption myths for you:

MYTH #1: There are many siblings available.

–Sometimes families think sibling groups are available for adoption, especially young, healthy siblings.  This can happen, but it would be an extremely long wait if you were only open to adopting young, healthy siblings.  Many times, countries have siblings available that are different ages, older, or with special needs.

MYTH #2: The waiting child timeline is the same as a non-special needs (healthy) child timeline.

 –If you are open to waiting children (which can mean healthy older children, siblings, or younger kiddos with special needs), families could have a shorter wait time.  For example, the wait time in Bulgaria for a healthy 2 year old is currently estimated at 4-5 years once you submit your dossier.  If you are open to a waiting child, depending on your adoption desires, the wait could be between 1 ½-2 years after you submit your dossier.

MYTH #3: All older children will have attachment and bonding issues.

–It is also a myth to say that all older adopted children will have attachment and bonding issues.  I always suggest to families to look into different countries and programs to see the reasons why children are orphaned.  Each child’s story is different, and some older children could have recently been orphaned. Institutionalization is definitely something to think about when considering an older child for adoption, but not every child will have suffered from this.  You will have background information on your child at time of referral, so this may not even be an issue…but preparation for attachment and bonding is also key in your transition.

MYTH #4: All waiting children have severe special needs.

–No!  Not all waiting children have severe special needs.  Waiting Child programs can mean healthy, older children and sibling groups as well…sometimes even large sibling groups.  Waiting child programs can also include very minor or even minor correctable special needs kiddos.  I definitely suggest learning more about the waiting child program in the country you are interested in!

MYTH #5: We are too old to adopt.

–So many families think they are not eligible to adopt after the age of 50.  This is not true! Some countries do set an age restriction on the age of the child you can adopt and possibly only allow you to adopt through a waiting child program, but prospective adoptive parents do have adoption options after the age of 50!

If you ever have questions about adoption myths you may have heard, feel free to contact me anytime at Elizabeth@childrenofallnations.com or 512-323-9595 x3091

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager

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Children of All Nations Adoption Blog: December 12, 2012

Hello CAN Families,

With the holidays (quickly) approaching, I wanted to share a couple of Christmas traditions some of our countries practice!

The Christmas tree has great importance in the celebration of Christmas in Haiti. TheHaitians cut pine branches to serve as Christmas trees, or they go to the market and get freshly cut trees brought from the mountains just a few days before Christmas. The trees are decorated with lights and bright ornaments. At the base of the Christmas tree they add a big nativity scene which occupies a large part of the living room. The nativity scene depicts the birth of baby Jesus in a cave manger, with Mary, Joseph, baby Jesus, the three wise men, and sculptured stable animals. The realistic touch is given by the hay which is strewn around in the stable. An endearing tradition of Christmas in Haiti is that on Christmas Eve, the children place their cleaned up shoes filled with straw, on the porch or under the Christmas tree for Papa Noel (Santa Claus). Santa Claus removes the hay to fill up the shoes with presents. Christmas day is spent feasting, visiting friends and family and for small children playing with the new toys brought by Papa Noel.

Latvia is also closely associated with the Christmas tree, and some legends say it was in Riga that the first Christmas tree was decorated in front of the House of Blackheads on Town Hall Square in the beginning of the 16th century. Whether or not this is true makes no difference, because the tradition of decorating Christmas trees is alive and well in Latvia. One is erected every year in that legendary spot on the medieval square. Christmas trees in Latvia can be decorated in a variety of ways, but hanging Christmas ornaments made of natural materials like straw is one of the most traditional. The 500th anniversary of the Latvian Christmas tree was celebrated in 2010.

Have you thought about incorporating your child’s roots into the holidays?  Do you already do this?

Happy Holidays!

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager

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Children of All Nations Adoption Blog: December 5, 2012

Happy Wednesday Families,

The holidays are just around the corner, and CAN loves hearing about your family’s holiday stories.  Do you remember what your first holiday was like with your little one?  Are you anxious to learn about the adoption process and have your first holiday as a complete family?!

One of our newer programs is domestic adoption.  I think many families are interested in a domestic adoption, but they might be scared of what that could mean.  Will the birth mother want an open adoption?  What is an open adoption?  What will the birth mother be like? Will the birth mother want the baby back?  How long is the wait?  CAN is wonderful at assessing the birth mother’s needs and commitment to adoption before matching with an adoptive family.  CAN also supports and counsels the birth mother and adoptive family through their entire journey.

Recently, I have been watching a series on domestic adoptions, and I think our families could learn from each adoption story they follow.  You can watch an episode of “The Baby Wait” here.

You can also learn more about CAN’s Domestic Program, right here.

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach

Adoption Consultant/Outreach and Promotions Manager

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