This is the story of the Holbrooks, who lived in 16 Manor Way in South London.

On the outside they were a very affluent and normal Medical family, but their life together was to be far from normal. The two children were adopted separately, their Mum was an alcoholic, and one dark winter's night she climbed the stairs to commit suicide. Nick Holbrook tells the whole story of what it was like to grow up with this family. With great personal detail, his book documents what happened over their 20 years of life together and how those events have affected him so greatly to this day. Read their story if you have an interest in Adoption, Alcoholism, Suicide and Family Relationships. It's both a powerful and tragic family story where things might have been so different.

When Baby Brown Bear arrives, all alone and very frightened, at City Zoo, Mama Polar Bear scoops him into her arms and promises to be his mother. Despite the grumblings of the other zoo animals, Baby Brown Bear learns family is family, no matter the differences, and all bears need love.

The story of one ordinary family navigating through a life with fostered and adopted children, struggling to cope with loss, mental illness, and a sexual predator in their midst. The author hopes to raise awareness about the need to support victims of abuse and educate children in order to keep them safe. A story of faith challenged and God's grace.

If You are Thinking of Becoming a Gay Dad, or if You are Already a Gay Dad This Book is for You!Are you ready to have kids? More and more gay men are turning to adoption and surrogacy to start their own families. An estimated two million American LBGTQ people would like to adopt and an estimated 65,000 adopted children are living with a gay parent. In 2016, The Chicago Tribune reported that 10 to 20 percent of donor eggs went to gay men expanding their families via surrogacy, and in many places the numbers were up 50 percent from the previous five years. Gay parenting. Having a kid is like coming out all over again, on a daily basis, especially if you have an infant. Was coming out stressful for you? It's about to get more intense and you will have a child watching your every move and listening to your every word. If you stutter or pause, they may pick up on your discomfort and could start to feel like something is wrong about their family unit. The Ultimate Guide For Gay Dads is jam packed with parenting tips and advice to help you build confidence and become the awesome gay dad you were meant to be! How Is This Parenting Guide Different From Others? Unlike other parenting books that have whole chapters focusing on things specifically related to mothers (such as how to get the perfect latch when breastfeeding), this parenting book replaces those sections with things relevant to gay dads. It covers topics like how to find LGBT friendly pediatricians, how to find LGBT friendly schools, how to childproof your home with style, how to answer awkward and prying questions about your family from strangers, examples for what two-dad families can do on Mother's Day, and much more. The book also includes parenting tips and advice from pediatricians, school educators, lawyers, and other same-sex parents. Top LGBT parenting expert. Bestselling author Eric Rosswood covers every aspect of fatherhood for gay men in this essential guide to growing your family in the post-DOMA era. He is a major influencer on social media with over 100,000 followers on Twitter alone, as well as thousands on other platforms. Exploring LGBTQ issues. Rosswood is an in-demand authority and commentator on LGBTQ issues, including civil rights, parenting, marriage and politics. The author has been featured in major media including The Washington Post, Cosmopolitan, CBS News, The Huffington Post, Elite Daily, Yahoo! News, AOL News, NY Daily News, IB Times, and regional LGBTQ press.

Under His Wings is a life-changing resource for: - adoptees - orphans - foster children - children waiting to be adopted Effective for children, ages nine and upward. Also, orphan ministry training materials for leaders. Healing tool for parents and children to complete together.

This is the story about how Ainsley came into our lives. How two middle-aged professionals managed to adopt a child without leaving our shores. You see, Ainsley is not from China, Ethiopia or Russia. She is a domestic product, manufactured right here in the United States. Finding her was no easy feat. In the pages that follow I hope to provide a feel for the travel, travails, and twerps one encounters upon entering the world of private adoption. This is not a tale for the faint of heart, the politically correct, or misers. Suffice it to say we had our ups, downs, and wrote a lot of checks. And, despite my continuing need for a nap, it was worth every expended minute and dollar.

During a raging thunderstorm, a little lost dog finds her way to Willowbrook Farm and is taken in by the Campbells. Though given food and a safe place to sleep there on the farm, the little dog needs something more, a playmate she can love. But no one on the busy farm has time for her. No one, that is, until Lin and her father come to pick peaches. As the bond between Lin, a young girl adopted from a distant land, and the little lost dog becomes obvious to everyone, the hopes and dreams of both come true. Lin finds the furry friend she's longed for and the little dog, Foxy, finds a lifetime of love and a forever home with the best little girl ever.

This journal is a vehicle to be gifted to a placed child to allow communication with and become familiar with the birth family regardless of their accessibility. it is an opportunity for the birth family's story to be heard without interruption, in a safe non- accusing environment. An open adoption allows for this free exchange of information and can be a healthy way for an adopted child to understand it was through the love of family regardless of circumstance, that brought everyone together to share their lives. We are all simply, a branch of someone's family tree. A perfect open adoption gift

This colorful story of how a boy from Guatemala came to be part of a family in the United States is a tool to introduce the topic of adoption to adopted and non-adopted children alike. Justin Walling chose to illustrate the family using birds of various colors, providing a platform for understanding the similarities and differences embedded in multi-cultural families. Although not a simple story, the steady and repetitive theme of what makes a family and what children need is very simple, fundamental and true. Songlike in its delivery, the words are softly rhymed and often repeated. September 21, 2011 Press Release: How do you introduce the topic of adoption to your adopted son and his non-adopted siblings? Kelly Dougherty and Justin Walling had just that question and have answered it in The Story of Che, a children's book based on their own family's story of how a boy from Guatemala came to be part of a family in the United States. With personal clarity of how differently families can form, and deep exploration into the ever-pressing issue of how a child might interpret comments from outside the home, Dougherty and Walling chose to literally illustrate exactly how their family came to be. "We are living in a world where families come in all shapes, numbers, and colors," says Dougherty. "Often those familial colors are monochromatic, but more and more today we are seeing something beyond that, something a little less simple. The Story of Che addresses that." Using birds of various and brilliant colors, Justin Walling's illustrations provide the platform for understanding the similarities and differences involved in multi-cultural or interracial families. Kelly Dougherty's artful writing follows a steady and rhythmic theme centering on what makes a family and what all children need, creating a tale that is simple, fundamental and true. Kirkus Indie says, "There is much to like in this story...Its structure and repetitive stanzas give it a songlike character. The art is charming and the message is heartwarming..." The Story of Che opens with a lady bird building a nest. Surprised to find it empty after her hard work, she begins to search for her baby bird. The vibrant images capture her journey from Charleston to Guatemala and back, drawing the reader into the story as the echo of "I'll be his mama, I'll help him fly" continues with each new bird entering the nest. "Whether a bird is red, green, black or pink, it is a bird all the same - still in need of love; still in need of food; still in need of understanding," says Dougherty. Dougherty is author of Sleeping with Steinbeck, a work of creative non-fiction that chronicles a cross-country journey with her dog. Justin Walling is the owner of Charleston Architectural Glass. Fringe Squirrel Press is the publisher of The Story of Che.

When the two-time National Book Award finalist Melissa Fay Greene confided to friends that she and her husband planned to adopt a four-year-old boy from Bulgaria to add to their four children at home, the news threatened to place her, she writes, "among the greats: the Kennedys, the McCaughey septuplets, the von Trapp family singers, and perhaps even Mrs. Feodor Vassilyev, who, according to the "Guinness Book of World Records," gave birth to sixty-nine children in eighteenth-century Russia."
Greene is best known for her books on the civil rights movement and the African HIV/AIDS pandemic. But she and her husband have also pursued a more private vocation: parenthood. "We so loved raising our four children by birth, we didn't want to stop. When the clock started to run down on the home team, we brought in ringers."
A celebration of parenthood; an ingathering of children, through birth and out of loss and bereavement; a relishing of moments hilarious and enlightening--"No Biking in the House Without a Helmet" is a loving portrait of a unique twenty-first-century family as it wobbles between disaster and joy.

Adoptive parents often wonder why their adopted child continues to be manipulative, defiant and aggressive despite all the love and generosity they have been given. Research shows the power that the infant's experiences and lack of nurturing have on later development. In Gotcha Welcoming Your Child Home, author and psychologist Patti M. Zordich, Ph.D., offers a refreshingly positive and clear explanation of the complex issues contributing to these behavior problems. She then provides guidelines for a simple, loving tool called Cocooning, Dr. Zordich's innovative system that helps parents heal these inner wounds, bringing their child to a more peaceful, loving place.

"An eye-opening account of life in China's orphanages. Kay Bratt vividly details the conditions and realities faced by Chinese orphans in an easy-to-read manner that draws the reader in to the heart-wrenching moments she has experienced in her work to bring hope to these children."--Dan Cruver, cofounder and director of Together for Adoption
When her family relocated to rural China in 2003, Kay Bratt was thrust into a new world, one where boys were considered more valuable than girls and poverty and the one-child policy had created an epidemic of abandoned infants. As a volunteer at a local orphanage, Bratt witnessed conditions that were unfathomable to a middle-class mother of two from South Carolina.

Based on Bratt's diary of her four years working at the orphanage, "Silent Tears" offers a searing account of young lives rendered disposable. In the face of an implacable system, Bratt found ways to work within (and around) the rules to make a better future for the children, whom she came to love. Her story balances the sadness and struggles of life in the orphanage with moments of joy, optimism, faith, and victory. It is the story of hundreds of children--and one woman who never planned on becoming a hero but became one anyway.

Author Kristen A. Morton has entwined her experience as a birth mother with her love of writing. In the book "With One Heart," she brings to life each emotional layer of the hearts and minds that are affected by open adoption. This booklet highlights the strong, ever-lasting, relationships that can develop from adoption. It is possible for adoptive mothers and birth mothers to share a happy and healthy relationship with time and trust. Morton brings you eight chapters revealing, brick by brick, how to build a beautiful relationship together.

Synopsis This book is about the fathers of children who were raised in other, adoptive families. Frequently, in writings about the separation of parent and child, the emphasis is on the mother and her son or daughter. The father is an absent, or at best a peripheral figure. The Invisible Men of Adoption brings the father into the open and accords him his proper place within the family of origin. Through this exposure of the 'invisible men', the reader will gain a full appreciation of what it means to be a birth father.The Invisible Men of Adoption also explores and demonstrates the benefits of birth fathers being included in the mending of emotional wounds caused by the initial separation of the three family members. This key role for the birth father in a tripartite setting has not been addressed by anyone else in adoption literature. The Invisible Men of Adoption is the culmination of Gary Coles' writings about the place of birth fathers in adoption.About the AuthorGary Coles is a birth father. His first-born son was raised in New Zealand by adoptive parents. He has spent most of his adult life living and working in Australia. Gary began exploring his adoption experience in 1992. He made his first presentation to an adoption conference in 1998, coincidentally in the city where his adopted son lives. Since then he has written extensively about adoption, particularly bringing the viewpoint of birth fathers into the discussions. He has published three books (in 2004, 2005 and 2010) and more than forty papers and articles (1998-2011), made presentations to the last three Australian Adoption Conferences (2000, 2004, 2008), presented seminars in Australia and New Zealand, and been a keynote speaker on three occasions at Concerned United Birthparents' Retreats in the USA.In his present role as manager of a post-adoption services organisation, Gary oversees the provision of practical and emotional assistance to those who seek or have found the other members of their birth families. He also educates the public and the helping professions about the impact of adoption.

A story about a girl given up for adoption and finding her way home.

Telling an adopted child that he or she is adopted can be difficult for a parent. The challenge lies in making the child feel special, the way we as Christians feel when we are adopted into the family of Christ, in the same way the vineyard grower grafts a new vine to another grape vine so that it becomes one with the vine-not just a part of, but one with its new host. Every child should feel that he or she was chosen just for that family. Jesus said, "From the womb I knew you." I wrote this story as a way to tell these children how God chose their family while they were yet in their birth mom's womb telling them that while in the womb their "real" adopted parents were waiting for them. The story and illustrations are intended to help the child visualize how all this came to be while prayerfully making it easier for the adopted mom to show that she was chosen for the child just as the child was chosen for her. To all those birth moms who selflessly make such a huge sacrifice by deciding to carry their babies and giving them up to adoption I say, 'Thank you' from the bottom of my heart. You have made me a very happy grandma. Bless you. I know my Lord blesses you as do all the adoptive parents whose "Hole in Their Heart" you have fixed. Again God Bless and Thank You. Gina Leeber Grandmother Servant of Christ

Troy and Rachel are exceptional parents and have both compassion anddedication as they start an unusual journey to adopt Ricky and Ben, twoboys whose father abandoned them and who have experienced abuse andneglect at their hands of their mother. They come to the family fullyequipped in their own survival skills, fears and issues from their pasts.From fighting at school to full blown destructive tantrums, Ben keepseveryone at a distance, especially Rachel who longs to give him a place ofsafety in her home. Ricky is cute and energetic, often clingy and tries hardto make sure his new family will think he is good enough to stay. AsRachel and Troy work together to provide consistency and build trust, their own children are part of the healing and bring in various aspects oftheir own challenges.The journey takes Rachel and Troy into aspects of their own childhoodabuse and turmoil as they deal with various behavioral issues, familychanges and emotionally draining situations with the love and wisdomequal to their dedication. FROM THE INSIDE OUT is based onresearch about abused children and why many adoptions fail. It takes youinto the heart and soul of hurting children and while bridging the gapbetween the pain of the past and hope a forever home can offer.

"Journey for Julie" is unique in that the reader is able to follow along with the author as she travels through China to adopt her daughter. The reader is invited to witness the miracle of adoption and discover how God uses trials and setbacks to bring spiritual growth, even half way around the world. The author hopes to answer the question many adoptive families have. "What happens once you get there?" Experience the thrill of finally arriving in China, the heartbreak of being stranded in Beijing, the ecstasy of Gotcha Day and the adventures of coming home to a new family.

Abandoned by his mother in a St. Petersburg dumpster when he was only three days old, Alex Krutov should not have survived. But God had something else in mind. Raised in the harsh Russian orphanage system, Alex's life was one of hopelessness and despair until the arrival of Christian missionaries from the West when the Soviet Union collapsed. Infinitely More is the inspiring true story of a young man who would not give up, and the God who relentlessly pursued him. Jesus said, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." This is the story of God coming to Alex, and the hope He offers to all of us. Alex Krutov is the co-founder of The Harbor, a ministry to emancipated orphans in Russia. A graduate of Franklin University in Ohio, he divides his time between the United States and Russia.

Clinical psychologist, Michael Grand, brings a compassionate understanding to all members of the adoption constellation. Drawing upon a lifetime of personal experience, research and clinical practice, he challenges conventional ways of thinking about adoption. The limitations of attachment theory as an explanation of adoption outcome are presented. In its place, he suggests a narrative understanding of adoption. Core themes of identity, grief, mattering and trust, permeate these narratives and shape the experience of members of the constellation. As a passionate advocate for openness, Grand explores the psychological costs of denying identifying information to adopted individuals and their birth kin. Parallels are also drawn to an impending crisis as offspring of assisted reproduction seek answers to their identity questions. The book concludes with a consideration of alternative permanency arrangements and a primer for opening closed adoption records. This book will change how we approach adoption in all of its manifestations. Adoptees, birth and adoptive kin, social workers, clergy, teachers, therapists, and legislators alike will find meaning within these pages.