Archive for March 2013

Where Passover Meets Tragedy: The Secret Pain for Some Jewish Families

I remember doing the Passover Seder with family and friends ever since I was a very young child.  Each year, when we reached the part in the Seder where we recited the ten plagues, I dutifully dipped a finger in my glass of grape juice and touched my plate ten times, one for each plague. ... Read more »
By Carrie Goldman,
March 27, 2013 at 12:11 pm • 

Victoria's Secret: My Daughter Does Not Need a Thong that Says "Call Me" on the Crotch

Victoria's Secret: My Daughter Does Not Need a Thong that Says "Call Me" on the Crotch
I have spent months trying to find a collection of Star Wars underpants featuring strong female characters such as Princess Leia and Ahsoka Tano for my tween daughter.  I’m still looking. If my tween were in the market for, oh, say, highly inappropriate sexy thongs, she would be awash in options, such as the new... Read more »
By Carrie Goldman,
March 25, 2013 at 3:34 pm • 

Sensory Processing Disorder and the Adopted Child: Not Just Bad Behavior?

Sensory Processing Disorder and the Adopted Child: Not Just Bad Behavior?
The following is a guest post by an adoptive mom whose young son has Sensory Processing Disorder: By Melissa Flanagan When my son A was two, he attended a Montessori preschool.  It was during this time that phrases like “overly active” and “difficulty sitting still” emerged in direct reference to him.  A’s preschool teacher consistently... Read more »
By Carrie Goldman,
March 21, 2013 at 1:31 pm • 
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Adoption Retrospective Ten Years Later: The First Birthmother

It has been ten years since we began our adoption journey.  In honor of the passing of time, I will be publishing one post each month in 2013 that reflects on our lives in 2003. Please read the January, 2003 post and the February, 2003 Post. Motivated.  That’s what we were. Everyone approaches the adoption... Read more »
By Carrie Goldman,
March 18, 2013 at 5:02 pm • 

The Painful Reality of Adopting Older Children Who Have Experienced Trauma

The Painful Reality of Adopting Older Children Who Have Experienced Trauma
Adopting older children out of foster care is a very different experience from infant adoption, and it is my experience that there are fewer books and stories available about this topic.  I am pleased to share the following guest post with you, written by Brittney Dalton: By Brittney Dalton I am scared to allow you... Read more »
By Carrie Goldman,
March 13, 2013 at 11:30 am • 

Would Your Kids Notice Large Gift-Wrapped Presents on the Table?

Would Your Kids Notice Large Gift-Wrapped Presents on the Table?
It was the 5th day of Hanukkah, and I suddenly felt Jewish-mom-guilty because all the gifts that we had given the girls had been very small and simple.  Our kids really don’t need anything at all – except maybe some jeans without holes in the knees – and so we prefer to celebrate the annual... Read more »
By Carrie Goldman,
March 11, 2013 at 12:32 pm • 
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When I Went to School on Monday, My Life Was Not the Same

When I Went to School on Monday, My Life Was Not the Same
The following piece was written by a young woman who has been following Portrait of an Adoption for two years, ever since she first read about my daughter Katie and her love for Star Wars.  It is her own devastating story of how a student’s life can change in an instant – due to a... Read more »
By Carrie Goldman,
March 6, 2013 at 1:40 pm • 

The Unexpected Marriage

The Unexpected Marriage
The day I met my husband was the same day that I met Princess Diana.  It was a glorious June day in 1996, and I was working for the Lurie Cancer Center while in my senior year at Northwestern.  Her Royal Highness was in Chicago to speak at a Symposium on Breast Cancer. The princess... Read more »
By Carrie Goldman,
March 4, 2013 at 12:18 pm • 

Donna Day: Raising Money for Pediatric Cancer Research in Memory of a Lovely Girl

Donna Day: Raising Money for Pediatric Cancer Research in Memory of a Lovely Girl
I have a really wonderful friend named Sheila Quirke.  Every time I hang out with Sheila, we laugh and have a good time; we talk and share stories; we trade blogging tips and strategies.  And every time I hang out with Sheila, we grieve.  We speak of her absent daughter, Donna — a brilliant sprite... Read more »
By Carrie Goldman,
March 1, 2013 at 10:08 am • 
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