Almost three years ago, I signed a “conditional surrender,” giving up parental rights of my oldest child, who was eventually adopted. The agreement stated that I would continue to be able to visit my daughter. The adoptive parent broke the agreement and I have not seen my daughter in almost three years. Now I regret not fighting to keep my two children together.
Here, Margaret Burt, an attorney with 37 years of experience in child welfare … Read More
When I was 14 my father broke the worst news to me and my siblings. He told us he had one year to live.
Almost immediately after he told us, he placed my sister and me in foster care, where we were separated, because they said I was always telling my sister what to do and trying to be her “mother.” My brother was locked up and my mother had been removed from our home when … Read More
When my son Isaiah was born on January 3, 2007, I was unsure whether I was his father. Then I laid his small body against my chest with my head bowed down to his and felt an unmistakable bond. I knew he was mine.
PROVING MY FATHERHOOD
Unfortunately, because of his mother’s actions, my son went into foster care. I was determined to get him back. While I filed for paternity and waited for the court to … Read More
This is not about what’s easy to write. This is about what people need to know. This is a pain and suffering that never goes away. I really miss my little girl every single day. When I last saw my daughter she looked so beautiful and happy. She looked almost exactly like my son, Aaron. her long curly brown hair. Her skin a little darker than mine. short and cute. I’ll never forget her smile.
SAFETY … Read More
There was a time when all adoptions were closed, parents signed over their rights and rarely ever saw their children again. But time and research have shown that children who maintain connections to their biological families do better. While private adoption agencies have increasingly embraced openness, child welfare systems have not.
Meanwhile, over the past 20 years, adoptions have increased, from 38,000 in 1998 to over 50,000 last year. That’s a result of the federal Adoption … Read More
