Tomorrow is National Adoption Day. To celebrate adoptive families, I asked Tiffany S. Franc, a lawyer at Hodes, Pessin & Katz, to share her story.

Franc will be the keynote speaker at Baltimore County's celebration where the Circuit Court will finalize 10 adoptions. The ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. at the Baltimore County Old Courthouse in Towson.

Here's Franc's story:  

I entered foster care at three years old due to sexual and physical abuse by my biological parents. I was forced to visit with them throughout my childhood and reunification was the goal. In the early 90’s I began to realize how horrendous my past was and decided that I did not want reunification. As I aged, DSS [Department of Social Services] attempted to terminate my parent’s rights and place me for adoption. My childhood was consumed by the legal system.

I saw on TV the story of “Gregory K.,” a boy wanting to be adopted because of abuse by his parents, but they would not give up their rights. He filed a petition seeking to “divorce” his parents and made news all over the country.

I thought how similar our stories were, that if DSS wasn’t granted their requests, perhaps I could force the courts to let me have my say. With the help of an attorney, I filed my petition. On the day of trial, my parents consented to adoption so as to avoid publicity. I wasn’t able to make legal history, but better than notoriety I was given a stable, loving family.

I was adopted by my foster parents in 1994 at the age of twelve.

Today I am a graduate of Frostburg State University, UB School of Law and an attorney at Hodes, Pessin & Katz. Most importantly, I am a wife and mother; sustaining trusting and loving relationships knowing that I will never perpetuate the violence that I suffered. Without my loving, supportive adoptive family, none of this would have been possible.

Saturday, as I give the keynote address to the crowd gathered for National Adoption Day, my heart will fill with joy and pride knowing that I am a part of the beginning of many happily ever afters.

If you're adopted or parents of adopted children, please share your stories here.

Posted by Hanah Cho at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Adoption
        

The number of adoptions in Maryland has grown almost 20 percent during the past three years, according to Gov. Martin O'Malley who made the announcement at a press conference this morning.

Citing reforms in the state's child welfare system for the progress, O'Malley said about 8,760 children have been placed with guardians, adoptive families or reunited with their parents.  

Check out reporter Raven Hill's expanded story tomorrow.

Posted by Hanah Cho at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Adoption
        

Michael and Monica Simonsen, the Baltimore couple who have been trying to adopt a Haitian orphan toddler nearly all his life, have happy news -- if all goes well, they're bringing the boy home tonight.

Joe Burris spoke with the couple by phone earlier today and filed this report:

Michael Simonsen traveled to Haiti hoping to bring home Stanley Hermane, a 21-month-old who had been at an orphanage for most of his life. He and a couple of other adoptive fathers were able to bring seven Haitian orphans -- far fewer than they expected -- to the U.S. from Port au Prince early Monday morning. The Simonsens spoke about reuniting with Stanley this afternoon at Orlando International Airport, while awaiting a flight to Baltimore.

The joy of finally bringing Stanley come did not come without its struggles, the Simonsens said.
The couple flew to Fort Lauderdale on Saturday and joined several other families and adoption agency personnel before the fathers flew to Port-au-Prince via private jet, arriving in a small airport on Saturday afternoon. They pitched tents in a small village at the airport for the night, then went to the U.S. Embassy on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. to get the adoption procedures in motion.

Michael said he saw Stanley at about 2 p.m., along with six other children who had been cleared for adoption and were brought to the embassy for photos.

“When they brought him over for his pictures, it was a little bit surreal,” said Michael. “I was excited but it felt bittersweet. Lots of kids were expecting to see their parents and they were not allowed to leave.”

Michael said that the agency he and Monica have been working with to bring Stanley home initially expected more than a dozen orphans to be cleared for adoption, with dozens more to follow.

Michael and the other fathers brought the seven orphans back to the U.S. on a midnight flight that carried about 80 other orphans. The flight had been scheduled to arrive in Miami (about half an hour from Fort Lauderdale) but instead arrived in Orlando -- more than four hours away -- at 3 a.m.

They didn’t get out of customs until 8 p.m.

Monica Simonsen drove to Orlando and met up with her family.

“By the time I got to see him, we were just so tired,” said Monica. “Stanley was sleeping. We had just seen him months ago, so it felt normal. The next day, I woke up and realized that I didn’t have to say goodbye to him anymore.”

She said that Stanley was congested but added, “He’s doing great.”

Michael Simonsen said that it seemed ironic that he would touch down in the U.S. with Stanley in Orlando. “We were joking that maybe we should just go ahead and take them all to Disney World,” he said.

(Photo of the Simonsens with Stanley courtesy of the Simonsens)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 4:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Adoption
        

Madonna can adopt young Chifundo Mercy James from Malawi after all, a court there has ruled. Persistence pays; initially, the Material Girl was told she could not adopt the girl because she didn't meet a residency requirement.

What do you think about this?

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 9:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Adoption
        

Madonna's controversial adoption of David Banda, a 2-year-old boy from Malawi, was finalized this week. In granting the adoption, a Malawi judge reportedly called the Material Girl and husband Guy Ritchie "perfect parents."

I was curious about your thoughts about it, especially in light of another piece of news this week. A study of a 1994 law that made it easier for more white parents to adopt black children found that the law has not significantly increased the adoption of black children, and that black children adopted into white families struggle with issues of identity.

I'd love to hear from adoptive parents as well as readers who grew up in adoptive families of a different race.

(Photo of Madonna and David Banda last year by Karel Prinsloo, Associated Press)

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 8:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Adoption
        

According to a story in yesterday's New York Times, international adoption agencies are feeling the pinch of new rules and increasing constraints from some countries, causing some to close. In some cases, the story says, parents who were in the middle of the process were left in the lurch, and out thousands of dollars.

I'd like to hear from some parents who are trying to adopt from overseas -- or who have recently done so -- about how the process is going. Are you being told to prepare for longer waits? And how does that affect your decision-making about adoption?

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Adoption
        

The Chicago Tribune reports that by tricking the body with medication, herbs, or pumping, adoptive mothers can breastfeed a child without giving birth. The newspaper included stories of mothers who made it work.

This Web site is dedicated to supporting the practice. Here's an older story about adoptive breastfeeding from the Web site of Mothering magazine.

Have any of you readers who've adopted tried to breastfeed? Were you successful? I'm interested in the pros and cons.

Posted by Kate Shatzkin at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Adoption, Babies and Toddlers, Expecting