Comments on: A Snapshot of Adoption in the US

By: Dawn

Dawn — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:11:13 +0000

Amy, you’re welcome! And thanks- I was not looking forward to the start of a busy week and your comment totally revitalized me.

By: Wishing4One

Wishing4One — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 12:05:06 +0000

This is really interesting. Thanks for sharing.

By: Amy McManus

Amy McManus — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 20:29:00 +0000

Thanks Dawn – this was great to read!

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:47:41 +0000

This was really fun to read! As someone who was adopted at birth and who is now trying to adopt a toddler, I have long wondered about how adoption affects people. I have talked to many other adoptees, and everyone’s experience is so different. Because of this, it is really difficult to get any sense of how adoption affects most people. I have wondered and worried about how adoption might affect the toddler we are trying to adopt, knowing that I can share my own adoption experiences with him, but also knowing his own experiences will be unique.

Another reason I am excited about this report is, for people wishing to adopt, the results will be powerful information to give to family and friends who are skeptical or unsupportive, believing all adopted kids to be troubled and messed up. I hope this great first effort will eventually be followed up with research that is more narrow in scope. It would be really interesting to know, for instance, how people adopted in the 70′s compare to people adopted in the 2000′s. Or how mental health is affected as a result of how and when adoptees discovered they were adopted. Those kinds of more specific questions would be fascinating and would help guide the raising of adopted children.

Thank you, Dawn, for summarizing this report. And thank you for everything you do. I cannot tell you how helpful all your work has been to me!! I have often felt so in the dark throughout our adoption process, feeling like my only option was to blindly follow the instructions of our adoption agency. It is such an overwhelming process (we are adopting internationally) and it can be very difficult to find accurate, concise information. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

By: Eva Lee

Eva Lee — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:29:00 +0000

Thanks for your post!

By: Bridgette Raes

Bridgette Raes — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 07:27:00 +0000

This was so awesome, Dawn, thank you!!

By: Dawn

Dawn — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:01:56 +0000

Geri, good to know that there are more research geeks out there other than just me.

By: Geri

Geri — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 21:32:23 +0000

We’re obviously the “odd” family as our oldest child has both an attachment disorder and AD/HD!! But we would be one of the families that reads together, tells stories, sings together and eats together!! We also make it a point to play games (board games) at least once a week and play outside together. I wonder how this compares as my sister (who lives in Europe) has two biological children never played with her children when she visited here. When I tried to play with her children, they didn’t know what to do with me!

Thanks for this information. I found it very, very interesting!

By: Lori, Open Adoption Examiner

Lori, Open Adoption Examiner — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 20:07:29 +0000

Thanks, Dawn for sorting through all that data for the salient points! Worth a few dimes, at least.

I’m curious how some of the mental health issues compare with the population as a whole.

Thanks for the link, too.