I've asked my kids' elementary school to give my little guy another year of kindergarten.

It was not an easy choice. He has come amazingly far--physically, socially and developmentally--since coming home from Sakhalin Island less than two years ago. Just being in an educational setting for several hours a day was a big leap for him. Remember that children in Russia--in orphanages or out--don't start school until they are seven. And I learned in April that there are no major problems that would qualify him for an individualized... more

Whether you are a prospective adoptive parent needing motivation because Moscow is taking so long to sign off on the re-accreditations or a parent already home needing some inspiration, you'll be in luck this weekend: Dateline NBC is going to re-run a remarkable story on Russian adoption.

Correspondent Keith Morrison's story originally aired last June. It is the story of Lisa and Hythem Salem, "two regular people in an average suburb in America", as Morrison called them. Not... more

There's a recent thread on the Russian Adoption Forum that touches on the school and preschool topic I have started exploring: Do you tell the school that your child was adopted from Russia?

It seems that the mother who started the thread was afraid that the school... more

There are challenges to adopting an older child from Russia. And even though they will be offset by plenty of rewards (plenty, trust me), some of the challenges will definitely leave you scratching your head. Many of the early ones will occur in school, so I thought I'd take a few posts to look at some of the issues that parents--and the children they have adopted from Russia--have experienced at school, and how they have handled them.

First up, preschool.

Back in February, Rhonda, who blogs at "Worth... more

I had suspected for some time that my little guy had forgotten all his Russian. But several events of the last few weeks have confirmed that, if it is not gone, it has definitely been packed away in long-term storage.

A bit of background for those of you new to this blog. My little guy was a few months shy of his fifth birthday when he came to America about 18 months ago. His spoken Russian was limited and babyish, in no small part because most of his front teeth, top and bottom, were rotted or missing. Another child in the orphanage did most... more

I got a bit of good news about my younger son last week. It's just strange how long it took me to feel good about it.

My little guy, who came here from Sakhalin Island just short of his fifth birthday, has been going through a series of evaluations to see if he qualifies for an individualized education plan. The verdict last week: He doesn't.

I should have been jumping up and down, right? No disabilities that affect his ability to learn. I probably should have expected this from all that he has piled into his head since arriving here... more

Charles Simonyi returned to earth on Saturday, April 21, one day late, but with a big smile.

Simonyi, who made billions designing software for Microsoft, reportedly spent $25 million of his fortune to ride on a Soyuz TMA-10 rocket with two Russian cosmonauts to the International Space Station. On April 7, he became the world's fifth space tourist, courtesy of the space tourism company Space Adventures, and by spending 14 days in space, Simonyi... more

This is the kind of story I wish I read more often: What becomes of child after he or she was adopted from Russia.

It popped up in the "The Oshkosh Northwestern", thanks my trusty Google Alerts. Confession: I have never read "The Oshkosh Northwestern" before, but I did spend a few days in the charming town this past summer when I took my kids there to see the gigantic EAA AirVenture show. There... more