Blogaholics Anonymous & Calling Guest Bloggers

 I'm a blog addict, an information junkie. I read decorating blogs, home organization blogs, adoption blogs, political blogs -- anything that makes me learn or think or laugh or grow.

You may have noticed that I tend to like edgy posts -- things that force my thinking out of my comfort zone. If you've noticed that, you are correct.

I think it's especially important for us as parents to continue to learn and grow and have our thinking challenged. I'm convinced that listening to others, often  people I don't totally see eye to eye with, has made me a better person and a better parent.

So here are my selections from this week. Some are sweet. Some are a little confrontational. All are worth reading. Enjoy.

Joshua - Moving Forward - This post made me smile. . . and want to jump up and down . . . and cheer. Adopting a child with life-theatening special needs is like volunteering to have your heart broken. Jennifer Peterson shares a story of hope where there wasn't supposed to be any hope at all.

Social Justice and the Ban on U.S. Adoptions - One blogger's analysis on the recent ban on Russian adoptions from the U.S. Lots to think about here.

Hope after Russia's adoption ban: Adopting justice - How we can help Russian orphans in light of the ban.

Desperately Seeking Birthmother - Is she a birthmother, or just an expectant mother? Words matter.

Jackson, On Telling Children They Were Adopted - Short and sweet from the mouth of an adopted child. Sometimes kids have a way of getting to the heart of things.

Calling Guest Bloggers

This year I’d like to run a series of guest posts by adoptees called On Being Adopted. Would you help me spread the word to any adoptees who might be interested in submitting posts?

Through, this series, I want to help us see adoption from the perspective of the adoptee.

Here's all the info a potential guest blogger might need.

I’m looking for guest posts which:

·         Tell a personal story that illustrates some aspect of your experience as an adoptee. I know that your adoption experience is many-faceted and complex, but please choose one aspect to focus on in your post.

·         Are 500 – 900 words in length

·         End with the statement: One thing I’d like adoptive parents to know is . . .

·         Pieces previously published on your personal blog may be submitted as long as they are tweaked to fit the above guidelines.

As far as topics go, the list of possibilities are endless, but here are some questions that I, as an adoptive parent, would love to see addressed:

·         How did being adopted affect you at different stages of development? Especially, how did your experience of being adopted change as you entered your teen years?

·         What challenges has being adopted present for you in your adult years?

·         If you are in reunion, could you tell a story that illustrates some aspect of that experience?

·         If you were adopted internationally, have you visited your birth country? Could your share a story that illustrates some aspect of that experience?

I believe there will be great interest in this series. I hope I will receive a variety of submissions that taken together will help paint a picture of the adoptee experience, promoting understanding and perhaps, dispelling some myths.

Please send submissions to Dana@deathbygreatwall.com. You may simply type your submission in the body of the email or attach it as a Word document. 

Please edit for grammar, punctuation, and spelling. I will not be able to use submissions that require extensive editing. I do reserve the right to make minor grammar/punctuation/spelling edits. I will not, however, edit your content in any way.

Submitting a post, does not guarantee that it will be published at Death by Great Wall. I will, however, respond to all submissions within two weeks.

Shared at Faith Filled Friday.