February 26, 2009

Calling All Open Adoption Bloggers

If I were to submit an essay to the This I Believe series, it would begin, "I believe in the power of story."

In the very beginning, it was stories that demystified open adoption for me and made it something I not only agreed with in principle, but really wanted for our family. Stories turned unknowns like "contact" and "visitation" into regular people sharing phone calls and meals.

Stories from other adoptive parents let me make sense of the role I play in our personal triads. The honest words of first parents make me more sensitive to my kids' birth families. Listening to the stories of adopted adults helps me to be--I hope--a more empathetic, aware parent with my kids.

When I've struggled with our own adoptive relationships, knowing there are other people who have faced the same worries has eased the loneliness. And when I stumble on a blog of someone who's been living open adoption for years and years? I'm almost turning cartwheels at all their insight into what lies ahead.

Beyond the sterile research studies and mass media pieces, I think it is our stories that show the world the reality of and reasons for what we do in open adoption. And that give us a sense of comraderie as we live out open adoption--something which is all at once completely normal and completely counter-cultural.

Which is why I have this little dream, a dream of starting up a blogroll just for us--a place for us to find each other and for others to find us. Writers from all sides of open adoption gathered together in one spot. A great big list of Open Adoption Blogs.

Would you like to join me? (And I really hope you do!)


I've created a space for our very own Open Adotion Blogroll. And with the help of Mel and of Kari at SugarB Studio, we even have some wonderful buttons to help spread the word. To join in, just grab the button code here and then add your blog.

I truly hope to gather as many voices as we can. No matter what open adoption looks like in your life right now--something joyful and easy, a struggle, a dream--if you embrace openness, your blog is welcome. Whether you write about adoption a lot or a little. Each of our stories sheds light on a different part of the whole.

27 comments:

Kris said...

What a fantastic idea -- I'm in! So glad to have found your blog.

Lori Lavender Luz said...

I'm in. Such a great idea. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help.

Anonymous said...

Just tried to add mine and hoped it worked! I can't wait to see some new "faces" that I've inevitably missed over the years.

Nice Job. Are you posting this at Open adoption support?

luna said...

what a wonderful idea! I couldn't agree more about the power of stories -- how they inform, inspire, and teach important lessons, whether we realize them or not.

and this I believe!

M de P said...

I'm in! Thanks for setting this up.

Anonymous said...

Yay! I'm in, I'm in!

What a great idea!

Thanks for taking it on!

Tammy said...

Sent you my stuff too...

Rebeccah said...

Love the idea! I'm signed up!

GINA and KEV said...

This is a great idea. And I love This I Believe. I make my Seniors write essays to submit at the beginning of every school year. By far the best writing I get out of them all year!

By the way, I've nominated you for a Sisterhood Award!!

Anonymous said...

I'm in! I'm terrible at adding things to my sidebars...I always forget how so it may take me several decades to figure out how to add the button. But button or not, I'm IN! Great idea!

xo
Flicka

Jamie said...

Just in the beginning stages of our open adoption, but very glad to live and learn about this amazing part of the journey. :)

Jessica White said...

What a great idea! While our adoption journey is on hold right now, I think it is the stories of others that help us put reality into perspective, based on experience not text book information.


ICLW

Guera! said...

What a wonderful idea!
And I can't believe someone else has read the book "Gracias". I will have to dig up my old copy somewhere and read it again.

KandiB said...

Kudos! I'm bookmarking this...starting the adoption process this fall. So glad to find you all! ICLW

Michelle said...

You are doing such a wonderful thing. Thank you!

Mama Bear said...

Im in too! what an awesome Idea - I will pass the info on to my daughters birthmom also!

Lavonne said...

What a great idea! I too believe in the transforming power of stories. Someday I hope to add my name to your list of open adoption bloggers -- at this point we're so up in the air as to what our adoption story will end up looking like. I'm still praying and hoping for an open adoption.

Anonymous said...

I adopted internationally and do not have an open adoption (we didn't have a choice). I am very open to my son finding his birthmother or father someday, but that is different. I don't know a lot about open adoption but when I first heard of stories I could only think that it must be so hard on the adoptive parent. I even thought it would be confusing for all parties involved. I think it is wonderful to hear about stories such as yours to learn that I was mistaken. I do understand why open adoption is a great choice for all involved. This is a topic I need to educate myself on as I pursue my non profit. But I have resources such as your blog and others to refer people who visit my website to.
Thank you.

Rachel said...

As we plan on having at least a semi-open adoption, I'd be willing to be added -- but I'm not sure if I'm applicable. Not sure what will happen as we wait.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Girlie--having trouble with some of the links on the new blogroll :(

Is it on my end or yours?

Heather said...

@mama2roo - It was on Blogger's end. I think it's fixed now.

Anonymous said...

Me too! I start my adoption classes on the 28th of this month. Great Idea.

Anonymous said...

Luna pointed me over here. I'd love to be a part of this group of bloggers.

Lisa T. said...

Ugh! I can't get the code for the button to except in my html code? Where should I try to paste to so that it will work?
Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I am so happy I stumbled upon this group. I am excited to hear read stories from others and share ours as well.

Anonymous said...

I can not figure out how to put the button on my wordpress blog. I am so new to all of this blog stuff. I am getting a lot of traffic but don't know how to do the technical stuff.

Tiffany said...

wonderful idea! So glad I came across your blog.

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