I've always been interested in how adoptive families came to be: what attracted you to your child; how did you "know" he or she was meant to be yours. There are lots of resources out there about adoption--who can help you, how to do it, what you need to know. Real World Adopt is devoted to what comes after the adoption and, yes, what came before it), what happens in real life.
I'm the mom of 2 young women (it's true; they're women now!) from St. Petersburg, Russia. My husband and I adopted them back in 1999 when the process was far less excruciating than it is today, and the wait for older kids was much shorter. Today those little "girls" are 19 and 22 now (they were almost 11 and 14 when we got them--oh, and did I mention?...they're sisters).
Professionally speaking, I'm a licensed clinical social worker, an editor, and have written personal stories on adoption for Newsweek, The Orange County Register, Adoption Today, and OC Family, and on healthcare for hundreds of physicians, agencies, healthcare practices, organizations and institutions including The Guidance Channel, The Bureau for At-Risk Youth, Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles, PacifiCare, and St. Joseph Health System.
Real World Adopt is where I get to read and hear your stories, too. It's a forum for community, a salon for learning, a place to share your voice.