The topic:
Write about a blogger (or bloggers) who influenced your real-life open adoption, and how.
The responses:
Adoptive mom Jenn Mc says Thanksgivingmom made her more aware of her own actions toward her child’s birth mom.
Prospective adoptive parent Prabha at Baby Steps to a Baby Dream tells how stumbling onto Clio in an internet search completely changed her mind about open adoption.
Prospective adoptive parent Thorn at Mother Issues describes how an encounter with Dawn’s family changed her partner’s view of her decades-old adoption.
Adoptive mom Spyderkl at Evil Mommy shares how her friendship with Barb of Cigarettes and Coffee helped her keep the door open, even when it seemed like no one walked through it.
Adoptive mom Cynthia at In the Night Kitchen recalls turning to the internet to help her get over her fears–and finding This Woman’s Work.
Adoptive mom Rredhead at the Adoption.com Open Adoption Blog rounds up her favorite first mom and adoptive mom blogs, plus two group blogs.
First mom Ginger of Puzzle Pieces finds parallels between her oldest daughter and Madison, insight into the adoption process at Hoping for Another Little One and Parenthood Path, and an example of the sort of cooperation open adoption requires at The Great Surro Adventure.
First mom Amstel of Amstel Life shares some of her favorite positive adoption blogs, while noting that it’s the writers opposed to adoption who have forced her to really come to terms with the “what ifs.”
First mom Leigh at Sturdy Yet Fragile tells how blogs like Weebles Wobblog and Parenthood Path allowed her to see adoptive parents as people and take a chance with her daughter’s adoptive parents.
First mom Thanksgivingmom of I Should Really Be Working shares how the words and support of Coco at Mommyhood and Life help her make sense of her own situation.
Adoptive mom and adopted adult Andy at Today’s the Day! says writers like M de P, Thanksgivingmom, Jenna and Dawn have helped her cope with the limbo of her family’s lopsided adoptions.
First mom and adopted adult Valerie of From Another Mother is inspired by the advocacy of The R House.
Adoptive mom Barely Sane at Infertility Licks says the blogs of first moms like Brown, Thanksgivingmom and Valerie showed her new, practical ways to communicate with her daughter’s first family.
Prospective adoptive parent Amy of Beanie Baby Blog says blogs like Heart Cries, Infertility Licks and Amstel Life have her rethinking their thus far conservative approach to open adoption..
First mom Susiebook at Endure for a Night appreciates the insight This Woman’s Work gives her into adoptive parents, credits I Should Really Be Working with grounding her in the midst of her grief, and sees herself in The Happiest Sad.
Prospective adoptive parent Jacksmom at Hoping for Another Little One appreciates Ginger’s honest appraisals of her very different open adoptions, Heather’s stories of thinking through adoption in our home, and being able to share in the growth of Luna’s open adoption relationship from its beginnings.
Adoptive mom Lassie at Eggs Benedict Arnold shares how vital it has been for her to face up to the hard truths found in Not Mother.
Adopted adult Anonadoptee at The Adopted Feminist envisions being one of the first to have grown up in an open adoption to use her experience to support others–and generously opens herself up to questions.
Adoptive parent Sharon at What Else Do We Need? writes about the importance of finding a kindred spirit in Dawn.
Adoptive parent Momosapien joins the (well-deserved) Dawn love train, noting how much she’s learned about creating space for conflicting emotions.