I know of parents who have been brought to their knees by the "Terrible Twos". Personally, I think the "Twos" were a snap compared with the current phase in my household, something I like to call "Science and Scissors".

"Science and Scissors" is a period of intense exploration and experimentation. Will the scissors that should be used on construction paper cut hair as well? Amazingly enough, they do. Will mixing vinegar and baking soda cause an eruption just like a volcano? Yes again. Is the back of your clothes closet the perfect place... more

One of the most useful things my adoption agency made me do, as I was working on my second Russian adoption in 2004-2005 was to create what I'll call a Russian Resources list: One document on which I collected all the Russia-related help I might need, from cultural to medical. If you're among the many prospective parents waiting for Moscow to finish the re-accreditation process, compiling this list can be a great, productive way to pass the time.

The object is to list everything you might need to help you and your newly adopted child settle... more

I didn't like Meet The Robinsons, and I said so in this post the other day. But the storyline did connect with another issue I've been mulling over for some time: Whether I'm the right parent for my kids.

Let me explain. The agency I used to adopt my children from Russia operates on a philosophy of matching a child with the right parents. They got to know each of my sons in their orphanages and then connected them to me when they read my paperwork.... more

I took my kids to see Meet The Robinsons a few days ago. My boys, who were both adopted from Russia, loved the movie. I was appalled. If I had known about the way adoption is treated in this new Disney film, I never would have taken them.

There's no way to write this post without spoiling some of the details of the film. So if you don't want to know, please click on something else.

Before I take my kids to see any movie, I read up on it. The plot... more

It's spring musical time at the local elementary schools, and that means the classics: Sound of Music, The King and I, Peter Pan, Annie and Oliver! And someone from my household is working hard to audition for a solo in the latter.

What does this have to do with adoption from Russia? Well, every so often, the debate bubbles up on adoption chat boards about whether to allow children who were adopted to watch Annie and Oliver! The first time I saw the threads on this topic, I was... more

A policeman came to school last week for the "Don't Talk To Strangers" talk. It's an annual thing in our schools and nicely tailored to each age group, which means they add in tips about Internet strangers as the kids get older.

But as an adoptive mother, I keep feeling that one piece is missing from the talk. I mean, after all, 18 months ago, I was a total stranger to my younger son. And he was not only encouraged to talk to this stranger, he was told to take the stranger's hand, leave the only place he had ever known, get on a plane... more

In the middle of last month, one of the Russian adoption forum members came on to say she had quit her job. Her good employer had gone bad after she became an adoptive mom.

BTDT, as they say on the Internet.

Adoptive moms are discovering what bio moms have long known: Some bosses are just not child-proof. But this discovery seems to sting more as an adoptive parent. We are, particularly those of us who adopt internationally,... more

Oh heck.

This morning, I re-read Saturday's post on five tips to get your family's new life together off to a good start, and realized I forgot the most important one: organization.

So call this post "Everything I learned about organization I learned from a four year old."

When I made my first trip to Russia to meet my younger son, I took a lot of notes on what his life was like in the orphanage. And as I read them back later, I realized... more

So many, many forever families have just come home or are on their way back. There's Laura at "Confessions of a Russian Adoption" whose family just completed its second Russian adoption. Ditto Mike and Melissa at "Russian Adoption Journey" and Betsy's family at "All Creechers Great And Small". Jeff and Maria--and their new son--... more

February 26, 2007: My little guy did his homework all by himself.

I know what you're thinking: Big deal. Mom needs to get a life.

But it is a big deal, a really big deal. A big milestone for a kid that, a little more than one year ago was viewed only in the negative.

I adopted my little guy in October 2005, a few months short of his fifth birthday. I put him into pre-school almost immediately, a school that my older child had been to for kindergarten. A local Russian grandma, to whom I owe a huge debt of thanks, served as... more