At one point in my life, before I had this many children, I contemplated reviewing books for a living, or at least a sideline job. I’d done so for a literary magazine at one point, non-fiction young adult books that I thoroughly enjoyed. I’ve had other opportunities, also which evolved into different open doors to traverse and my life has taken me here as the mom of 39 children.

I used to read a great deal, not having a TV when my oldest daughter was a child, and of course no internet as it wasn’t invented then. I was a school library media specialist... more

What makes some children so resilient that they are able to smile after horrendous childhoods? I have several such survivors here within our family. One 12 year old, sunny and happy, described by her caseworker as such a good kid, excuse my cynicism but I’ve heard that before and those same children were later hell-bent on their own destruction, hoping to take down as many bystanders as possible.

But my 12 year old really is a good kid. Deprived for years of her siblings, bounced around like Flubber,... more

Piggybacking once again on yesterday’s post, I often do so as my mind tends to ruminate on something for eons, always trying to figure out The Answer, seldom actually doing so.

I have a daughter, now 18, who has just graduated from high school. Like her older brother, having only lived in a stable family for seven years, somewhat reluctant to grow up, she's feeling gypped over such a short childhood.

I have a niece also graduating, full of college... more

My almost 17 year old daughter, the one who ran away last week and is now serving out her restrictions, fights against herself. Give her a taste of success and she’ll sabotage it, deeply convinced that it is undeserved. Left unsaid by her is, “If I deserved good things, my birth mother wouldn’t have left me,” simplistic yes but, more so, very primal and the root of my children’s inner pain.

Slowly she’s learning that good things can and do happen to her. She’d been taken out of school, by me, for excessive fist-fighting. I home schooled her for the... more

Almost 20 years ago I was 32 years old, excitedly heading down to Honduras to adopt my first sibling group of daughters. I had no idea they’d be the first of many brothers and sisters to join our family, I just knew that I was very certain, in my heart, that this was exactly what I wanted to do with my life.

I’d Xeroxed an article, July 1988, from Success magazine entitled, “The Myth of the Balanced Life: Happiness is a Hotly Pursued Obsession,” written in response to a New York Times writer who’d interviewed... more

I’m going to agree with Julia’s post regarding teens who work and I disagree with the study. Like Julia, we've found it to be a plus.

Adopted older children come out of socio-economic area in which they did not see a very good work ethic. Usually their parents did not work or worked in illegal ventures such as drug dealing; yet another factor that led them into foster care.

I have never regretted allowing a teenager to work. If anything I think... more

I just read where The Hiccup Girl has run away apparently in a dispute with her stepfather who just discovered her My Space account. The parents took away her cell phone so she took off.

We had a similar situation where my 16 year old ran away for a week. She’d tried to sneak out one night, her consequence was losing her cell phone and a week later, with full blown PMS coursing through her veins, turning her into an unrecognizable teenage mutant drama queen, she slugged a younger sister... more

To say that I garden is an understatement. I have huge gardens and a houseful of hundreds of houseplants. I find this endeavor to be both soothing as well as therapeutic. Last night after playing lifeguard at the pool for several hours, something I do everyday with my children, I headed out back, clippers in one hand, seeds in another, searching for bare patches in which to squeeze in more cantaloupes or zucchini, my choice of this day.

This is my passion and I’m obsessed with it, I love scrambling in the dirt, hauling wood chips or manure, turning... more

I often fight cynicism, trying to replace it with optimism. After 20 years in the adoption world, particularly on the treacherous path I’ve chosen, that of the adoption of older children where the pains seem deeper but the rewards even greater, sometimes I encounter a story that knocks my socks right off my big feet.

There’s a couple, John and Libby Moritz, who lost their three young children in a car accident. They were coming home from school and instantly killed.

There... more

The horrible murder of a beautiful young lady in Kansas, just two weeks after her high school graduation, is sad and shocking. She’d simply gone to Target in daylight hours.

My heart sank when I learned that she was not missing, but murdered.

Now I read that the accused murderer was adopted.

Carol Hall told The Emporia Gazette for Friday's editions that the couple adopted Edwin Hall when he was 7 and knew he had problems associated... more