I posted this a couple of places but I wanted to post it here, too.
With all the talk about Russian adoptions recently, as a single mom I
have just been upset and distressed beyond imagining. I am a single mom
with two beautiful children and although we've had some challenges, I
love them both dearly and I cannot imagine my life without them. Now
Russia is trying to stop adoptions by single moms. I can't stand by and
not try to prevent that.
In the late summer of 2004 I stumbled across a Yahoo group for single
moms who have adopted from Russia or who are in the process. I brought
my daughter home a few months later, and felt very supported by my
fellow moms, even though we only knew each other through cyberspace.
Through the years since then, it has grown in membership, and a few
members have come and gone, but there is a core group of single moms who
post regularly. We are all in a unique situation, being single moms who
chose to adopt from Russia, despite many difficulties. Most of us faced
not just the normal paperwork headaches and financial challenges, but
disapproval from close friends and family members.
Some of us adopted babies, some toddlers, some older kids. Regardless,
it's a caring and supportive group. Some of us have met in person,
despite being scattered across the USA from Alaska to Florida. We've
given each other encouragement, and shared tips on everything from potty
training to helping our kids with the fact they don't have dads.
When we saw the news story about the Tennessee mom who sent her son back
to Russia we were all shocked and saddened. Some of us have faced
pressures like she did, but we didn't give up. We sought out help, and
got through it.
We have decided, as a group, to share our stories with the Russian
government. Angie, Lindsey, and I are committed to showing that single
women in America can adopt from Russia successfully, and our kids are
happy and thriving. Russia is threatening to close to singles. Two of
our moms are in terrible situations where they may not be able to bring
their kids home. Our hearts break for these moms. We want to do
everything possible to help.
If you are a single mom who has adopted from Russia, please consider
sharing your story with us. Send me your story, 500-1000 words, and a
couple of photos, and I will edit it and we will get it translated into
Russian. Send it to [email protected].
There are over 700,000 children in Russian orphanages who desperately
want mamas. Please help if you can.
From orphan to beautiful young lady in 5 years...
