“The father-daughter relationship is very important”: Part 4 of Sarah’s open adoption story

This interview is part of a short series of interviews and testimonies about adoption. (Last week we blogged Margaret’s Mothers’ Day Testimony of placing a child for adoption.)

A few months ago Carolina Hope’s director (Laura Godwin) interviewed Sarah, a young woman who placed her infant daughter for adoption during her senior year of college.

In this interview, Sarah talks about openness in adoption from the birthmother’s perspective. This is Part 4. Parts 1 & 2 were presented Monday, Part 3 yesterday, and Part 5 will be posted later this week.

Part 4 “The father-daughter relationship is very important”

In response to the question, “Did you write a letter to Kate?”, Sarah talks about a book she made for her baby, and she goes on to talk about the openness she’s had since the adoption. (Nearly 7 minutes.)

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[Update: We have now posted Part 5 of Sarah's interview.]

The material on this page was first published on Carolina Hope’s Domestic Website in the Women’s Adoption Stories section.

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“I love you, and this is the best thing for you”: Part 3 of Sarah’s open adoption story

This interview is part of a short series of interviews and testimonies about adoption. (Last week we blogged Margaret’s Mothers’ Day Testimony of placing a child for adoption.)

A few months ago Carolina Hope’s director (Laura Godwin) interviewed Sarah, a young woman who placed her infant daughter for adoption during her senior year of college.

In this interview, Sarah talks about openness in adoption from the birthmother’s perspective. This is Part 3. Parts 1 & 2 were presented yesterday, and the rest of the interview will be posted throughout the rest of the week.

Part 3: “I love you, and this is the best thing for you”

Sarah talks about giving birth and how hospital policies required some changes in her plans. She also talks about holding her baby girl before putting her in the arms of her new family. (6 minutes.)

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[Update: We have now posted Part 4 and Part 5 of Sarah's interview.]

The material on this page was first published on Carolina Hope’s Domestic Website in the Women’s Adoption Stories section.

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“Everybody’s nervous”: Parts 1 & 2 of Sarah’s open adoption story

This interview is part of a short series of interviews and testimonies about adoption. (Last week we blogged Margaret’s Mothers’ Day Testimony of placing a child for adoption.)

A few months ago Carolina Hope’s director (Laura Godwin) interviewed Sarah, a young woman who placed her infant daughter for adoption during her senior year of college.

In this interview, Sarah talks about openness in adoption from the birthmother’s perspective. Parts 1 & 2 are presented today, and the rest of the interview will be posted throughout the week.

Part 1: “Everybody’s nervous”

In this first part, Sarah discusses how she met the couple that would adopt her child and how much contact she had with them leading up to the birth. (A little more than 5 minutes long.)

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Part 2: “Jim and Mary were committed to each other”

Sarah is asked what sort of questions she had for the prospective adoptive couple (Jim and Mary) in her first meeting with them, and she talks about the qualities that were important to her. (One-and-a-half minutes.)

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[Update: We have now posted Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 of Sarah's interview.]

The material on this page was first published on Carolina Hope’s Domestic Website in the Women’s Adoption Stories section.

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“God sees the big picture”: Part 5 of Margaret’s adoption story

The following audio clip is excerpted from an interview with Margaret, a wife and mother who, when she was seventeen, found out she was pregnant and made a decision that would change her life.

Here is the final part of Margaret’s testimony (given on Mother’s Day in her home church). Parts 1 and 2 were posted Monday, and parts 3 & 4 were posted yesterday.

Part 5: “God sees the big picture”

In this final clip (about 2 minutes), Margaret talks about forgiveness and trusting God with our mistakes, because He sees the big picture.

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The material on this page was first published on Carolina Hope’s Domestic Website in the Women’s Adoption Stories section.

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“I meet my birthdaughter for the first time”: Parts 3 & 4 of Margaret’s adoption story

The following audio clips are excerpted from an interview with Margaret, a wife and mother who, when she was seventeen, found out she was pregnant and made a decision that would change her life.

Here are the next two parts of Margaret’s testimony (given on Mother’s Day in her home church). Parts 1 and 2 were posted yesterday, and part 5 will be posted soon.

Part 3: “Sometimes you have to zip it and pray”

Margaret eventually married (Matt) and had two sons. In this portion (2-and-a-half minutes), she talks about her desire to adopt — and Matt’s reluctance. She also mentions Ray and Laura, the couple who had adopted her birthdaughter more than 10 years before this point.

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Part 4: “I meet my birthdaughter for the first time”

When Margaret & Matt came down to South Carolina (with one of their sons) for their adoption, they met Ray and Laura for the first time. (Laura is the director of Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency.) After receiving her new daughter, Margaret then had dinner with Ray and Laura — and Elizabeth, her birthdaughter. (1 min, 43 sec.)

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The material on this page was first published on Carolina Hope’s Domestic Website in the Women’s Adoption Stories section. [Update: Part 5 is now available on the blog.]

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“I was a Junior and I realized I was pregnant”: Parts 1 & 2 of Margaret’s adoption story

The following audio clips are excerpted from an interview with Margaret, a wife and mother who, when she was seventeen, found out she was pregnant and made a decision that would change her life.

Here are the first two parts of Margaret’s testimony (given on Mother’s Day in her home church). Parts 3, 4, and 5 will be posted soon.

Part 1: “I was a Junior and I realized I was pregnant”

In this 3-minute clip, Margaret talks about her background, her pregnancy, and her choice between abortion and adoption.

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Part 2: “We had contact through the agency”

In this very short clip (25 sec.), Margaret tells about the letters she exchanged with the adoptive family — and how she lost and regained contact.

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The material on this page was first published on Carolina Hope’s Domestic Website in the Women’s Adoption Stories section. [Update: Parts 3 & 4 and Part 5 are now available on the blog.]

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What is open adoption? Is it as scary as it sounds?

In a week and a half, on October 29 (Wednesday, 9 pm), Carolina Hope is offering a live online adoption education course about openness in adoption. Here’s the write-up from the course page:

We often hear that families who are considering a domestic adoption are afraid of an “open” adoption. In this 1-and-a-half-hour course, you will learn what an open adoption is, the possible benefits of openness, and when communication with birthparents is appropriate. By increasing your awareness of what openness is — and by being “open” to openness — you will probably increase the likelihood of having a successful adoption — and parenting — experience.

This webinar is presented by Laura Beauvais-Godwin, Carolina Hope’s director and co-author of The Complete Adoption Book. Laura is the adoptive mother of two daughters.

Participating in the course requires an internet connection and phone connection. The cost is $15. More information is available at the course page.

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International and Domestic Adoption Workshop Tomorrow (Tuesday)

Tomorrow evening (Tuesday, October 7), Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency will hold its monthly Adoption Education workshop entitled “Introducing Domestic and International Adoption.” The workshop is free of charge and will be held at Carolina Hope’s office in Greenville, SC. More details at our Adoption Workshops page.

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A Birth Mother and an Adoptive Mother Tell Their Shared Story

Carolina Hope’s director Laura Beauvais-Godwin will be presenting during a break-out session at New Jersey’s 27th Annual “Let’s Talk Adoption” conference to be held on November 1. Laura’s session is entitled, “Openness in Adoption: A Birth Mother and an Adoptive Mother Tell Their Shared Story,” and presenting with her will be Margaret, the birthmother of one of Laura’s daughters.

More information about the conference is available at the conference website. (Laura is scheduled to speak during Session A.)

Here’s some additional information from the conference site:

Openness in Adoption: A Birth Mother and an Adoptive Mother Tell Their Shared Story

When Margaret was 17, she placed a child for adoption with a family that she had not met. Once the adoptive family, Ray and Laura, contacted her, they formed a phone relationship. Eventually Margaret and her husband adopted transracially. Margaret a birth and (and now adoptive) mother, and Laura, an adoptive mother and adoption professional, share their interwoven stories of how open adoption touched their lives.

Presented by Laura Beauvais-Godwin, Director Carolina Hope

New Jersey’s 27th Annual Let’s Talk Adoption Conference
November 1, 2008
Rutgers University, Busch Campus, Piscataway, NJ
973-625-5628

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Waiting family profiles for domestic adoption

Carolina Hope’s Domestic site has recently added a new feature: profiles of waiting families who are trying to be matched with a birthmother. To view these profiles, click on the screenshot below:

Screenshot of Waiting Families Page

We encourage you to help us get the word out about this opportunity for families waiting to adopt domestically.

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“God, please help her to love her baby”

The following story came to me as a forwarded email, and it sounded just a little too perfect to be true — except that it IS true: it’s an account written by one of my dad’s cousins who volunteers for StandUpGirl, a pro-life organization. Her specific job is to correspond with women who need counsel about unexpected pregnancies.

I secured the author’s permission to post this online, as long as I removed any identifying information. So I’ve done just that. The story is from an email that she wrote to her mom about her 4-year-old son, David.

David hasn’t been in a very good mood today — so adding the StandUpGirl letters to my to-do list didn’t go over well with him. And he let me know his displeasure.

So in the middle of answering a letter from Jackie, who is thinking about having an abortion, I pulled him onto my lap and asked if he knew why I was writing an e-mail instead of playing with him right now.

He knows that babies grow in mommies’ bellies, but I explained that sometimes the mommies don’t want to be mommies, so they have an abortion, which means a doctor kills the baby before it is born.

He was very somber about this news, Continue reading »

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Live online course: Transracial and Transculture Adoptions (today – Thursday)

Today (Tuesday), tomorrow, and Thursday, Carolina Hope is offering a live, interactive online education course on Transracial & Transcultural Adoptions. Here are the times:

      Sept. 9 (Tuesday), from 1 p.m. to 2:30 EDT
      Sept. 10 (Wednesday), from 9 p.m. to 10:30 EDT
      Sept. 11 (Thursday), from 7 p.m. to 8:30 EDT

The cost for this course is only $15. You must sign-up at least 2 hours before the course begins. Additional information on signing up and paying can be found at the Transracial & Transcultural Adoptions page. Here’s a short course description from there:

In this 1-and-a-half-hour course, you will be introduced to a broad range of issues faced by transracial families, and you will be given strategies for confronting these issues as they arise. This course is presented by Laura Beauvais-Godwin, Carolina Hope’s director and co-author of The Complete Adoption Book. In addition, parents who have already adopted will present and share their own experiences.

[Clarification: This is the same course offered three times rather than a three-part course. -josh]

Posted in Domestic Adoption, Education, Events, Transracial Adoption | 2 Comments

International & domestic adoption workshop in Greenville tomorrow (Sept. 2)

Tomorrow (Tuesday, Sept. 2) at 7 pm, Carolina Hope Christian Adoption agency is presenting a 2-hour workshop introducing domestic and international adoptions. The workshop is free of charge and will be held at Carolina Hope’s office in Greenville, SC.

More information and sign-up information is available at Carolina Hope’s adoption workshops page.

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Open Adoption online education course, June 23

In two weeks on Monday, June 23, at 7 pm, Carolina Hope is offering a live online adoption education course about openness in adoption. Here’s the write-up from the course page:

We often hear that families who are considering a domestic adoption are afraid of an “open” adoption. In this 1-and-a-half-hour course, you will learn what an open adoption is, the possible benefits of openness, and when communication with birthparents is appropriate. By increasing your awareness of what openness is — and by being “open” to openness — you will probably increase the likelihood of having a successful adoption — and parenting — experience.

This webinar is presented by Laura Beauvais-Godwin, Carolina Hope’s director and co-author of The Complete Adoption Book. Laura is the adoptive mother of two daughters.

Participating in the course requires an internet connection and phone connection. The cost is $15. More information is available at the course page.

Posted in Domestic Adoption, Education, Events | 1 Comment

Highlights from Dorothy Bode’s NPR interview on transracial adoption

Have you listened to it yet? If not, you should. (Dan blogged about it yesterday. That’s how I heard. It’s only about 7 minutes long.)

The interview (on NPR’s Day to Day news program) was prompted by the just-released Evan B Donaldson Adoption Institute report titled “Finding Families for African American Children: The Role of Race & Law in Adoption from Foster Care.” In the report, the Institute discusses continuing obstacles to the adoption of African American children in the U.S. foster care system.

In the interview, Dorothy Bode discusses her own experiences as the (white) adoptive mother of six black and bi-racial children — and three biological children.

Dorothy is humorous, articulate, and endearing. She talks about the decisions she and her husband have made to keep their children connected to African American culture (for example, moving from the suburbs into the inner-city and attending a church with three black or bi-racial pastors). She also talks about how her family discusses race in a frank way that works for everyone in the family (vanilla and chocolate).

Hearing the interview made me proud to be associated with Dorothy through the blog. She was a great representative of adoptive parents and of her faith.

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