As a mother by adoption, nothing gets my ire up more than sensational and judgmental stories about families formed by adoption. When it comes to having children, our society — mostly goaded on by many in the media — often criticize or question families who decide not to use assisted reproductive technology, suggesting that we [...]
Guess who's going to the Democratic National Convention? Yup! I'm super-excited that I'm going to be headed to Charlotte to experience my second presidential convention and my first one with the Democrats. (I covered a Republican Convention back in my broadcast journalism days, but I won't tell you which one, as it would totally [...]
You know you're always looking for something new to read over the weekend! Here are some picks for you from some of the blogs I've been reading this week: Kristen at Rage Against the Minivan takes on the question of whether we really have to have another adoption-related blogosphere fight. At the Huffington Post, Jessica [...]
It's hard not to get caught up in the whirlwind of the election cycle and the impending Super Tuesday contests. But when I need a little break, I go looking for something to read that will get me centered again, and not so focused on politics. Here are a few of my must-reads this week: [...]
Last time I checked I thought that using candidates' children as targets of attack was pretty much off limits, especially after the 2000 presidential campaign when supporters of George W. Bush engaged in "push polling" to suggesting that John McCain's daughter, Bridget, who was adopted from Bangladesh, was actually an African-American child he [...]
This one was one of my favorites from last year. So I figured -- if it was good enough for Mother's Day 2010, it should still be good for 2011! Sure, I get to leave the dishes in the sink and the dirty laundry in the hamper today. And it's great that "some people" (you [...]
When Mr. PunditMom and I traveled to China to bring home our daughter, the amazing PunditGirl, we knew that the air quality in Chinese cities was, shall we say, not so fine. No need for statistics or studies -- you can see it, and you can feel it after just a couple of days as [...]
"This is where I was found." That's what PunditGirl told her class when we presented a slide show of photos from our recent trip of a lifetime -- one that will result in the first memories our daughter has of her birth country. I included this photo for our presentation to her classmates as an [...]
Several months ago, I weighed in on another adoption "give back" story, so I'm not going to rehash that all again -- you can read my feelings about that at my post called There Should be No Give Backs in Adoption. And I've ranted before about how the media covers adoption-related stories -- that somehow [...]
Yes, the PunditMom family is back from our amazing tour of China, and I'm trying to decide what I want to share about things other than the tourist stops -- our visit to PunditGirl's orphanage and the events of those few days are still circulating in my mind as I try to find a way [...]
So, we made it and we are nearing the end of week one on our whirlwind tour of China! Unfortunately, PunditGirl is a bit under the weather, so today we are missing the Giant Buddha, but we want her to be well enough to meet Tai Shan's new friends tomorrow! Being here on this trip [...]
In three weeks, my family and I will be on a big ol' jet airliner heading for China. You may be thinking, "Oh, man! She's so lucky to be going on a fabulous, exotic vacation like that!" And I am (thank you airline miles that I've been hoarding for years!), except that I really wouldn't [...]
As a mom by adoption to the fabulous PunditGirl, it was difficult for me to watch all the footage in the past days about the many orphans in Haiti -- especially the ones who have parents who are just waiting to bring them home -- stuck not only in the nightmare of earthquake itself, but [...]
While the Punditfamily takes a little break this week, I thought I'd revisit a few posts I felt strongly about this year. To start off, my thoughts on the "octomom" and how we view adoption vs. birth children. ********************************* I am weary of the Nadya Suleman coverage. The tiny octuplets. 14 kids altogether. Unemployed mom. [...]
Last year at this time, I got all riled up about an article in Vanity Fair and its cover article on Angelina Jolie. As PunditGirl continues to work through the questions in her curious little head about the permanence of adoption and the questions that people sometimes ask her about our family, I was reminded [...]
I really try to stick to more political things here at PunditMom, but sometimes I have to speak up when the media gets out of control with its coverage of adoption.This week, the Washington Post wrote this headline, "Maryland Woman is Charged in Death of Two Girls: Children Were Found in Adoptive Mother's Freezer Last [...]
I am weary of the Nadya Suleman coverage. The tiny octuplets. 14 kids altogether. Unemployed mom. Not to mention that whole sort of looking like Angelina Jolie thing.But one aspect of this baby circus is worth talking about -- the fertility industry. Yes -- it's an industry, both here and around the world. It's a [...]
Did you buy the turkey? Are you on your way to Grandma's house for the big meal? Or are you just hanging out, enjoying a bit of a breather?There are a lot of things that have been making people wonder if we have much to be thankful for this year. But there are a few [...]
Most people who know me realize that, notwithstanding my recent crisis of political faith, I will not be voting for John McCain in November. But as an adoptive mother I have a soft spot in my heart for the McCain family since they are an adoptive family, too.That soft spot hardened up a bit when [...]
Vanity Fair gets PunditMom's new "Stupidest Question of the Month" award!I only occasionally buy Vanity Fair, but I'm stocking up on some vacation reading and thought the the July issue would be good on the airplane.Angelina Jolie of the full lips and even fuller tummy is on the cover of July's Vanity Fair with an [...]
I have been dragging my feet on a big project for some time now.I cleared most of the extraneous things from my calendar. I'm 'just saying no' to things I otherwise would have said yes to -- writing projects, school parent duties, cooking!I took the trip I said I needed to make to get started. [...]
My recent San Francisco trip with PunditGirl was the first step on a journey that I never knew I would need to take -- the one to try to discover who she was before we entered her life.I was a bit busy upon our arrival back in the U.S. with instant motherhood and night terrors [...]
Well, maybe a thousand miles is a bit of an exaggeration, but today, I'm taking the first step on a journey I've been wanting to make for some time -- the path to piece together, as much as possible, the first year of PunditGirl's life.We know she was born in Hunan Province in China in [...]
I can't help cringing when people say, "Oh, you're such a good mother."I'm not tooting my own horn. I mention it because those comments feel so unwarranted. We're all good moms in our own ways, but the "good mom" pat on the back I sometimes receive seems to be born from our adoptive family status.Usually [...]
We've talked a lot with PunditGirl about her biological parents in age-appropriate terms ever since she was just a toddler.We've read books to her that talk about the subject and have always answered her questions honestly. But the honest answers aren't really helping her right now. At almost 7, we are discovering that her grief [...]
Following up on my post from yesterday, I was encouraged by the innocence and naivete of one of my daughter's friends.The perceptions of young children are so interesting to me. There have been SOOO many times that adults have made some comment, or sometimes even just shot us a passing glance, when PunditGirl and I [...]
