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11

Jun

Brooke Randolph, LMHC – Speaker Spotlight

by MLJ Adoptions

in Support Services

Brooke Randolph, LMHC has had a packed schedule of speaking engagements this summer. I am so glad that she will be sharing her expertise with those audiences in both the United States and Canada. This past May, Brooke spoke to an audience mostly of professionals in international adoption and child welfare at Joint Council for ...

20

May

Support During Travel

by Angela Simpson, BSW

in Support Services

For all of the different programs that MLJ Adoptions offer, all adoptive parents must travel to the country to meet their child. The duration of the stay may be different depending on the country and the added length of the stay may also add stress to the adoptive family. Traveling to another country to meet ...

1

Apr

Adoption Referrals: Dreams vs Reality

in Support Services

As a prospective adoptive parent, many of you have dreamed at length of what “your” child may be like and what it will be like to be their parent. Many of us romance the reality of “and they lived happily ever after” as our goal. But what happens when the child you meet is not ...

28

Feb

The Fingerprint of Adoption

in Support Services

Just as a fingerprint is totally unique to an individual, so is an adoption to a family. How can that be? On the topic of fingerprints, Wikipedia states, “the conditions surrounding every instance of friction ridge deposition are unique and never duplicated.” Why would one family that is adopting from Bulgaria, be different than another ...

20

Feb

It's Not About You

by MLJ Adoptions

in Support Services

Have you taken any of our adoption preparation education classes yet? Yes? Then you’ve heard and are familiar with, “It’s not about you.” If you’re waiting to take classes, know that you will hear this statement spoken a number of times. What does it mean, and why is it important for you to remember? This ...

12

Feb

Home Studies Abroad

by MLJ Adoptions

in Support Services

A little known fact about MLJ Adoptions, Inc. is that we can provide home study services to American citizens living abroad interested in international adoption. Whether you are living abroad because you are a missionary, student, for work, or in the military and stationed overseas, we may be able to help you complete your home ...

23

Oct

How Do I Raise a Child Who Doesn't Look Like Me? Dad's Perspective

by MLJ Adoptions

in Support Services

Earlier this year, Tell Me More, a wonderful radio show on NPR, broadcast a panel discussion including three dads who are raising children that don’t look like them. The insightful panel was hosted by Michel Martin. The conversation covers how the fathers deal with reactions from strangers, questions about how to raise their children with ...

12

Oct

What's Involved in a Home-Study?

by MLJ Adoptions

in Support Services

After you fill out your application and sign the contract with your adoption agency, the next big step is completing your home-study. Every agency does their home-study process a bit differently, with different requirements of what needs to be done when. The details in this post are specific to MLJ Adoptions, but generally speaking most ...

24

Aug

MLJ Adoptions to Host Pre-Conference Round Table Discussions

by MLJ Adoptions

in Congo, Support Services

On Friday evening prior to the Crossroads of America Adoption Conference, MLJ Adoptions will be hosting Round Table discussions as part of the Pre-Conference event. This event will provide attendees an opportunity to learn from others, share ideas and opinions, ask questions, and engage in in-depth discussions on an assortment of topics with others who ...

16

Aug

"…sometimes the unexpected can bring some of life’s greatest gifts."

by MLJ Adoptions

in Support Services

Sometimes, previewing a movie before your child sees it is a great idea, especially if the previews promise you interesting windows into the themes threaded throughout the storyline. Such as it is with The Odd Life of Timothy Green, in theaters now. The film is rated PG, however my recommendation is that parents who have ...

27

Jun

Ambiguous Loss, Adoption and Foster Care

by MLJ Adoptions

in Support Services

In the 1970s, Pauline Boss named the idea that ambiguous loss is different from the loss normally associated with death. When there is an ambiguous loss, there is no verification of death, yet there is no certainty that the person will come back or return to the way she or he used to be. Ambiguous ...

11

May

A Mother's Day Reflection

by MLJ Adoptions

in Support Services

This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. For most children, including adopted children, Mother’s Day is a time of celebration, appreciation, and love. But not for me. I hate Mother’s Day. I hate it distinctly, clearly, and without reservation. Some years I am so full of anger I simmer with it for days. Other years I ...

27

Apr

Support, Advocate, Educate: The Adoption Tax Credit

by MLJ Adoptions

in Support Services

This week may be an important week to many of us that have chosen adoption to build our family. Infertility may have been the beginning of your story, yet a domestic adoption or international adoption was the happy ending. For some, they are still in the emotional rollercoaster of infertility issues, some attempting assisted reproduction ...

23

Jan

Can I Adopt If I Have Been Arrested?

by MLJ Adoptions

in Support Services

An arrest record or prior criminal charge may not completely disqualify an applicant to become an adoptive parent. Each situation must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and it is very important that all criminal issues be fully disclosed to the home study coordinator and documented in a home study as well as other adoption ...

2

Jan

How Long Is The International Adoption Process?

by MLJ Adoptions

in Congo, Support Services

We hear over and over again how international adoption takes so long. Yes, it’s a long process, but often the wait and delays referenced are not accurate. I am adamant about telling the TRUTH about the wait. I am passionate about adoption and orphan care and want families to feel they can do it. But ...

30

Nov

Top 6 Reasons Why Home Visits Are Not Scary

in Support Services

Here are the top six reasons why I believe home visits are not scary: 1. The Home Study is Just Another Part of the Process – Those who are going through the adoption process are well aware of the numerous requirements involved in the adoption process. Whether you are adopting domestically or internationally, a home ...

27

Jul

Bilateral Agreements vs. Hague

in Support Services

Since 2008, The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Hague Convention) has been the primary agreement that provides standards for international adoptions between the United States and other countries. Currently, more than 75 countries have joined the Hague Convention. The Hague Convention provides safeguards to increase protection ...

28

Mar

Meet MLJ: Kathy G. Slaughter

by MLJ Adoptions

in Support Services

Name: Kathy G. Slaughter, LCSW Title at MLJ: Home Study Coordinator What do you actually DO with MLJ: I review home study documents submitted by prospective adopting parents and then meet with them in their homes to get to know them. Then, I write the 8-10 page document known as "the home study" or Adoption ...

22

Jan

Answering Questions About Adoption From Family and Friends

in Support Services

The international adoption process is anticipated to be a time of joy, happiness and excitement. Many though, find themselves dealing with stress, impatience and anxiety many times as a result of family and friends giving unwanted advice and opinions. Adoptive parents who begin the process anticipate that family members and friends will be supportive, helpful ...

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