There is some very insightful writing on the Russian adoption blogs this month and I wanted to pass it on.

Jenni writes about the two children she adopted from Murmansk in December 2005 at "Four Feet More". In a post early this month entitled "Vika And The Bear" she relates what happened when her daughter's kindergarten class read Nikolai, the Only Bear. If you haven't read this book, it is a good one to have on hand if you, like I, have adopted an older child. It talks about a bear who is the only bear in an orphanage full of children. He waits and waits for the right parents and is ultimately rewarded for his patience.

But bears aren't what Jenni's daughter chooses to talk about in class. When her classmates asked why she was in an orphanage, Vika told them flat out that her Russian mama drank too much. Some of us have very difficult birth parent stories to tell our children. I have hedged a bit with one of my kids, but I found myself wondering after reading this post, whether I should embrace Vika's directness.

Jenni tells a tale of a different sort about how her son, Vika's younger, biological brother, is approaching the circumstances of his adoption. In Eamon's Story, she talks about how she and her husband used a stuffed bear to coax some thoughts about life in an orphanage from her son.

How hard it is to wait in an orphanage for the right parents is also the subtext of a recent post by Rhonda at "Worth The Wait". Rhonda adopted siblings from Khabarovsk last year and her daughter, the older of the two, seems to take a very clear-eyed look at her new life. Read the post "Out of Nowhere" for this little girl's take on what happens when children are born in America.

Reading Jennefer at "Three Sons And A Princess" is always a welcome reality check for me. Earlier this month, in "Real Mom Tuesday", she reflected on what happens when you actually try to implement some of the advice in the adoptive parenting guidebooks.

And I have to cheer Melissa, who has become a shining beacon for adoption through her journey to adopt two children from Ivanovo. In "Please Don't Leave Me Mean Comments" she talks about why she talks openly about the adoption of her children. She believes, as do I, that it can help people uncover an option to creating or building a family that they might not have considered. Yes, sometimes it can backfire, like when your little Russian angel slugs a kid on the playground and the child's parent hisses, "Well, he is adopted." But if my advocacy, or Melissa's, helps even one more family or child, it is time and effort well spent.

And finally, a belated Happy Birthday! is owed to the boys at "Six Blessings". Their mom put up a wonderful post earlier this month about the course of their early lives and how they came to America last summer.

Do you have a favorite Russian blog read? I hope you'll let me know.