Is it harder these days to raise kids right than it was in days gone by? I'm not talking about the dinosaur days of the 50s and 60s when we were kids, but going back only a few years to the time when Atari's Pong was all the rage ... the computer equivalent of a chipped-flint ax tied onto a length of tree with a piece of sinew ... when... more

Is there anything sweeter than that stage of a little girl's life where, in her mind, everyone and everything deserves kisses?

Cj is very generous with kisses. She kisses hello. She kisses good-bye. She kisses good morning, and she kisses goodnight.

She'll blow kisses to total strangers. You should see her as we're leaving the bank! She's tossing kisses to the tellers, the customers, the security guards, even the ATM if it happens to say something as we pass. She tosses kisses as freely and enthusiastically... more

Are older adoptive parents more likely than younger moms and dads to take a sweet and innocent child and turn him or her into a monster?

Can a stomach for bratty behavior develop with a paunch?

Those like me, adopting later in a 'second round' of seeing action as a mother or father, not only have practice, but also through the clarity of hindsight benefit from our mistakes and see which parenting techniques paid... more

When talk arises over what can be seen as advantages of being an older adoptive parent, 'more patient' often is pulled out as an example of the mellowing process that influences parenting at a later age.

Younger parents may be characterized as eager and enthusiastic, but also a tad impetuous and perhaps having a shorter fuse than the been-around-the-block moms and dads who should be more relaxed about going with the flow.

Being as that I have never been a patient person, and might actually be less so now that... more

As anyone who's stumbled across me once or twice knows, I am a big fan of adoption. From where I sit, it's right on just about every level possible, managing to pull off so many positives in circumstances that can be heavily weighted toward the negative, the dire and the disastrous. Yes, when the question involves children with no one to care for them and families longing for little ones, adoption is a very good answer.

There are those, however, who don't feel this way. I'm not talking about the anti-adoption... more

Cj was still napping when I went to pick Sam up from school yesterday, so unlike most days when she beats me to his classroom, running in with her arms up ready for a hug from her big brother, I was alone.

Here's the conversation that followed on the drive home:

"So, where is Cj, Mom?" Sam asks.

"Sleeping," I answer. "She went down late for her nap, so didn't wake up in time to come with me."

"When I get bigger," he says after a moment's pondering, "I will hold Cj's... more

It's been a while since I've written about my assistant, Catherina, and it's time for an update. Because I'm of a certain age ... so conserving of my energy ... a mom to two little ones, work at home and have a big house in the back of beyond in the bush in Seychelles, I both deserve and need someone to help me around the house, with the kids and to run errands. We hired Catherina back in October, not knowing that she... more

Yesterday being Cj's second birthday and all, I've been spending a lot of time thinking back over our history together.

I can easily remember the time before Sam had a little sister, and the thought process that brought us to our second adoption.... more

Although there are documented cases of post-menopausal women managing to work up the wherewithal to breastfeed an adopted child, that accomplishment is limited to a darned small percentage of the older adoptive parent population.

(Not as small as the group of breast feeding fathers I wrote about a while back, but still in the little numbers.)

This article on pacifiers, interesting in its own right and in agreement with ... more

Like many first time fathers, Mark worried during our second adoption process that he wouldn't have it in him to love another child as much as he loves Sam. There's no doubt that for my darling husband the sun has, from Day One, risen and set on his son's sweet head. The intensity of the emotion he feels for his boy often takes his breath away, and he continues to be amazed by how easily overwhelmed he can be by the parade of joy, fear, adoration, anxiety, pride, panic, delight and utter astonishment that comes... more