Détente + Bated Breath
Well, my mom finally called on Tuesday. We had a v. brief conversation about nothing in particular, but I'm taking it as a good sign that she called. I hope we can get to the adoption stuff soon.
And speaking of adoption, this Saturday is my adoption conference! I'm so excited for it. I just pulled out my conference program this morning, and here are the workshops I'll be taking:
1. Same-Sex Marriage/Same-Sex Adoption: Though I know a lot about equal marriage and adoption (like how it bars us from adopting internationally, etc.), I want to attend this workshop to hear about the ways to legally protect our family. Joyce Kauffman, a lawyer in Cambridge, will be co-presenting with Laura Nemeyer from Adoption Resource Associates.
2. Adjustment to Adoptive Motherhood: This one's supposed to help soon-to-be adoptive moms and new adoptive moms understand the impact of motherhood. I don't know how they're planning to do this, but it should be interesting.
3. Adopting Across Race: The Identity Development of White Parents: This one sounds really neat. Since it's very likely that Petunia and I will adopt a child of color, I want to learn as much as possible about becoming a bi-racial or multi-racial family. I hope the presenters will include info about internalized racism and give us some suggestions for future learning.
4. Financial Issues Surrounding the Adoption Process: I'm taking this workshop because we'd really love to do a private domestic open adoption, but we just can't afford it. In our state, it's anywhere from $20,000-$40,000 to complete an adoption like that, which is WAY out of our league. Whenever we ask about financing a private adoption, folks from the private agencies tell us that people get the money from their families, from loans, or from fundraisers like bake sales (for real--we're read or heard the "bake sale" thing at least 5 times). At the very least, I want to learn more about the federal tax credits.
5. "Alternative Families" Open Discussion: Though I take umbrage at the "alternative" label, I'm really looking forward to meeting other LGBT adoptive parents. I'm glad that ODS is so welcoming of queer parents.
So that's that! Too bad Petunia will still be in Las Vegas--I know she'd love to attend the conference as well. Just thinking about Saturday makes me feel all butterfly-y!
And speaking of adoption, this Saturday is my adoption conference! I'm so excited for it. I just pulled out my conference program this morning, and here are the workshops I'll be taking:
1. Same-Sex Marriage/Same-Sex Adoption: Though I know a lot about equal marriage and adoption (like how it bars us from adopting internationally, etc.), I want to attend this workshop to hear about the ways to legally protect our family. Joyce Kauffman, a lawyer in Cambridge, will be co-presenting with Laura Nemeyer from Adoption Resource Associates.
2. Adjustment to Adoptive Motherhood: This one's supposed to help soon-to-be adoptive moms and new adoptive moms understand the impact of motherhood. I don't know how they're planning to do this, but it should be interesting.
3. Adopting Across Race: The Identity Development of White Parents: This one sounds really neat. Since it's very likely that Petunia and I will adopt a child of color, I want to learn as much as possible about becoming a bi-racial or multi-racial family. I hope the presenters will include info about internalized racism and give us some suggestions for future learning.
4. Financial Issues Surrounding the Adoption Process: I'm taking this workshop because we'd really love to do a private domestic open adoption, but we just can't afford it. In our state, it's anywhere from $20,000-$40,000 to complete an adoption like that, which is WAY out of our league. Whenever we ask about financing a private adoption, folks from the private agencies tell us that people get the money from their families, from loans, or from fundraisers like bake sales (for real--we're read or heard the "bake sale" thing at least 5 times). At the very least, I want to learn more about the federal tax credits.
5. "Alternative Families" Open Discussion: Though I take umbrage at the "alternative" label, I'm really looking forward to meeting other LGBT adoptive parents. I'm glad that ODS is so welcoming of queer parents.
So that's that! Too bad Petunia will still be in Las Vegas--I know she'd love to attend the conference as well. Just thinking about Saturday makes me feel all butterfly-y!
posted by Clementine at 1:44 PM
3 Comments:
Excellent! Have fun.
Yeah, enjoy your conference! I hope it's interesting and fun.
Also, glad your mom called. She needs to be nice.
I hope you have a great time at the conference, and that you learn lots of new and helpful (not discouraging) things. You and Petunia will be awesome moms - just like Pearl said.
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