Put Rainbowkids.com in your favorites folder, because if you're a parent of a child adopted internationally (or a hopeful parent) you will find a great resource in this on-line magazine devoted specifically for families created trhough international adoption.

This website is updated often and is chock-full of wonderful articles. Of course, the "personal stories" section is wonderful to browse through. Rainbowkids has a blog section, RKblogs, which is fun to read. A good cross-section of families is represented.

There are a few key articles on the site that I consider required reading:

1. "Speak for the children: Little things really can make a difference," by Debbie Spivack is a call to arms for adoptive parents. It asks us to be advocates for the children as well as international adoption in general. It's an excellent article.



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2. Dr. Jane Aronson's article, "Health and Development Issues in Newly Adopted Children" is a very useful article for people in the process. It applies to all children adopted either post-institutionally or from a country with less than adequate health care.




3. "Sensory Integration Disorder in Adopted Children," by Harriet McCarthy, is also required reading. Hopefully your child will not have symptoms of this, but if he/she does it will be most beneficial if you recognize it early.



4. "Invisible but Real: Birth Parents in International Adoption," by Pat Hoopes, is a discussion of how international adoptions are often closed adoptions, and what kind of repurcussions this has on the child. Like it or not, it's an issue all of us adoptive parents are going to have to deal with at one time or another. This article is an excellent way to begin thinking about the issue.



5. "The Money Thing," by Robert Anderson, and "Finanacing Your Adoption," By Martha Osborne should give some peace of mind to people just starting out in the process. Both are great articles about how to fund your adoption.

This list really could go on and on - there are such wonderful resources on that website.

While I'm recommending sites, I have to put a quick plug for Adoption.com's International Adoption section. It is also pretty amazing, so while you're clicking around have a look at that one, too.