Blog

Many internationally adopted kids can struggle with learning English after being adopted. They can have a hard time communicating with their new family and understanding what is being taught at school. Angela Zickmund is a ESL (English as a second language) teacher at Frankfort high school. She has worked with elementary, middle school, and high ...

This year MLJ Adoptions is celebrating our 10-year anniversary! MLJ Adoptions International was initially founded in 2009 by Michele L. Jackson, Attorney at Law and an international adoption advocate.  When founded the agency was known at the time as “MLJ Adoptions Inc.” Licensed in the state of Indiana in 2009 MLJ soon received our first ...

It’s time once again to be visited by superheroes, princesses, ghouls, and goblins in search of sweet treats.  This is the Halloween that we know in the United States. While it is not celebrated in every country, many Halloween traditions developed from All Hallows Eve customs leading up to the more widely observed All Saints’ ...

When you adopt a child internationally, the child comes from a place of loss and will likely join your family with underlying trauma. Your adopted child is in a new environment and country, learning a new language, tasting new foods, adjusting to new customs and a new family.  All these changes and adjustments can cause ...

Adoption professionals have reported that adopted children commonly experience fear of being abandoned and insecurity. Especially as an older child being adopted, they have a fear of abandonment and that they may not be with their family for very long. MLJ has resources to assist you and your adopted child with this adjustment. When adopting ...

Adoptive families have many questions prior to starting their adoption process. Below you can check out these FAQs to answer some of the most frequent questions received: What are the characteristics of the children in need of families? Bulgaria: MLJ Adoptions typically receives referrals of children from Bulgaria who are 12 months to teens that ...

Our lives are not driven by the things we buy or the accomplishments we achieve, rather by the moments that touch us, we cherish those moments that have a profound impact on us.  Recently I read an article in the Washington Post “An infant did not have any hospital visitors for five months. So this ...

There is support all around for you anything you would need throughout your adoption journey. There is a lot of benefit from talking with other peers about a similar experience and the ability to learn from one another. Even if you feel that you are doing just fine now, you can provide guidance and support ...

From September 15th to October 15th each year, we celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month. This celebration began in 1968 so America could recognize the many contributions, diverse cultures and amazing histories of the countries from which many of our American Citizen’s ancestors immigrated. Although this started as a weekly celebration in 1968, it was extended ...

In August I took my much-needed summer vacation. Part of my vacation was spent in Nashville, Tennessee to see my son who currently resides there.  As we always do, we decided to have dinner at Puckett’s Restaurant in Franklin, Tennessee, one of our favorite eateries. During dinner we were being entertained by a musical group ...

The culture of adoption is much different today than it was several years ago. Today there is more of an openness in adoption (especially in domestic adoptions) and more adopted children now have a connection or relationship with their birth family. However, the idea of telling the adopted child their story and having an open ...

Adopting a child can be a stressful path for any family. It can be quite exhausting and full of unknowns. Since adoption not only affects the adoptive parents, but everyone living in the household as well, it is important to not only prepare as adoptive parents but prepare the children living in the home as ...

Is adoption hard and scary?  Yes, it is!  However, it is hard and scary for the child too!  My husband and I decided to host a child before an international adoption.  It took some of the fear out of the process.  Now granted you cannot learn everything about a child in a few short weeks, ...

Last week I received a call from one of our MLJ families, who finalized their adoption from Ukraine about five years ago. They adopted their daughter when she was almost 16 years old. Today she is a 21-year-old successful young lady, completing her third year of college and speaking four languages fluently. She already chose ...