When you first begin your adoption journey, you may be surprised to find out that there are people out there who do not agree with adoption. Some of these people may be strangers that you meet in day-to-day life, and some may very well be your friends, or even family members, people whom you have known for years, but never knew that they had such strong feelings against adoption.

During our adoption journey, we were lucky enough in the fact that both of our families were completely accepting, and thrilled about the impending adoption. Some of our friends at the... more

Some of the worst times in life are when we feel like we are alone. When we are up against the unknown and don’t know what to do or where to turn to, finding out that there are others who have been through the same thing, and know how you feel. Just knowing that there are others out there who share similar experiences and feelings can be a huge relief for new stepparents, or for stepparents who are facing challenges that they do not know how to deal with.

TheStepfamilyLife.com has a wonderful list of blogs about stepfamilies and step... more

Today I spent the morning reading through my old journals. I had the intention initially, of just flipping through one of them, but ended up reading page after page, and then pulling out the next journal, and reading that one almost cover to cover as well. It was interesting to look back on life, and read events that I had forgotten about, and look at my emotions at the time, versus how I feel about things now. There were events that I still felt very much the same over, but there were... more

Being a stepparent is a hard and emotional job. Being an adoptive stepparent does not make things much easier; it simply adds new elements of hard, as well as new elements of emotions for all that are involved. When we are constantly bombarded with stress, and a high level of emotions, it can become hard to stay even, to not overreact, and to see progress in ourselves and our adopted stepchildren. We can become so involved in the stress of life, that we fail to see all the good that has happened in-between the stress.

Keeping a journal... more

Another thing to keep in mind about online support groups is that no one is a professional. The members are simply people whom have shared similar experiences, sharing advice with each other. Just because someone gives advice, does not mean that you have to abide by it, take it to heart, or do anything with it other than read what they have taken the time to write. If the advice offered is not something that you agree with, simply because you are a member of the group does not mean that you have to take it, and you are free to disagree, and to turn the... more

Online support groups can be an absolutely wonderful tool when it comes to dealing with stepparent issues, stepparent adoption issues, as well as day-to-day struggles. When searching for an online support group it is important to ask yourself what you want out of the support group, and what setting you would be most comfortable in. Many enjoy the fact that the groups use screen names instead of real names, as well as acronyms, and initials so that people still retain a fair amount of amenity, while still being able to get a lot of information out at the... more

Whatever situation it is that you are in, or that you are having trouble managing, chances are that somewhere out there in cyber space, there is a support group for it! One of the wonderful things about the Internet is its ability to bring people of all walks of life, from all over the world to one specific place in order to meet, make friends, and deal with everyday problems of life, weather they are big or small.

When I first met my now husband, I was thrilled that he had a son, as I had always wanted children, and simply saw the fact that he already... more

Adoption is an emotional process, no matter what form of adoption it is. Be it, international, trans-racial/cultural, infant, or foster adopt, each one comes with it’s own set of problems, fears, worries, and bumps along the way, that no one else seems to be experiencing, or able to relate with you about.

If this is how you have been feeling, than it is time for you to reach out, for comfort and advice from those who are dealing with the same issues as you are. Your family may be extremely supportive of your adoption, but might not just ‘get’ why a dossier,... more

Just because you have a counselor for you or your child, does not necessarily mean that you have the RIGHT counselor for you or your child. I have explained in a previous post how to pick out a good counselor, but many people are afraid to switch counselors, once they get one.

When going through counseling, some people find themselves wondering, is this working, my child doesn’t seem to be getting any better, I don’t feel better, what am I doing wrong? If you have given... more

Just as not any mate will do, not every counselor will be the right match for you, or your adopted stepchild. Just as we look for certain qualities in potential mates, and friends, the same must be done when looking for a counselor. If you are not comfortable with your counselor, or your adopted stepchild is not comfortable, then neither will be able to open up, and get true emotions and issues out in order to heal.

Before deciding on one particular counselor, make some phone calls first and do some phone interviews with different counselors. See if you are comfortable... more