21Nov 2016 by alexiamcleod
Adoption Equality: What the Numbers are Saying

Adoption Equality: What the Numbers are Saying

Adoption, Blog, Parenting, Tips
The Case for Adoption Equality [caption id="attachment_3359" align="alignright" width="368"]   Source: Family Equality Council [/caption] An estimated of 400,000 children in the U.S. have been removed from their homes and are now in foster care, wards of the state. With this many children, the main goal of the foster care system is to find each and every child a home within a reasonable amount of time. If the children’s biological parents have lost their right, finding a home is usually mandated 12-24 months from the removal date, ideally. The main goal of adoption is to find a child a home that is loving and can provide a stable environment for a child to grow up in. What is the Focus? Stability, according to the Florida state government means meeting minimum…
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25Oct 2016 by alexiamcleod
The Strength of Single Mothers

The Strength of Single Mothers

Blog, Parenting, Therapy, Tips
The single mothers I have come across in my lifetime are some of the strongest women I know. I ask myself, how is it that this woman has been through more than most, and came out on the other side empowered and able to conquer everyday obstacles with patience and grace? So I decided to ask them. For the sake of their privacy, their names have been changed, so we’ll call them Tamara and Kristina. Kristina's Story      Kristina is a close family friend who married the love of her life, has three beautiful and resilient adult children, and continues to overcome residual struggles from the last 15 years of her life.      In 2001, Kristina’s husband was laid off from his job, a huge blow to both his confidence and to…
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16Sep 2016 by alexiamcleod
Adoption, Blog, Tips
       The concept of conducting a home study prior to adoption in the United States dates back to the turn of the 20th century when orphans were placed on trains that took them out of the industrialized city and into rural areas of the country where they would be cared for by foster families who ensured that children escaped living in dirty, impoverished conditions. “Child-carers” or, what we refer to today as caseworkers, were responsible not only for ensuring that the families taking in children were equipped with money, food and space for a child but also that they were kind and loving people that would benefit a child otherwise destined to live on the streets of America’s overpopulated cities.        In the 1950’s the government established “minimal standards” for homes taking…
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