What was I saying about moving to Shanghai?

Check this out: the usually thought-provoking Shanghaiist blog (a group blog by a bunch of expats in China) has taken a look at adoption & abandonment - especially what happens to those kids who are taken in by Chinese families in what's... more

The New York Times reports on an adoptive mom moving from the old capital of the world to the new one. She's leaving New York City to start a new life in Shanghai with her 12-year-old daughter. And she's... more

The latest copy of The Futurist has news that should feed the already-swollen egos of a bajillion adoptive parents. The subheading says it all: "New study shows adoptive parents may have a slight advantage". That link goes to an abstract of the article, but basically, what it's saying is this: A study in the American Sociological Review looked at how growing up in "nontraditional" families affects kids. There's a wealth of information about how much better two-parent families are than one-parent families as far as outcomes for the kids (on average,... more

First: an announcement. Over in the China Adoption Forums, there's a writer for Redbook looking for adoptive moms of kids from China interested in being interviewed. And becoming a hero to an adoring crowd of Redbook readers, one would hope. You'll have to use your real name and allow photos of the family to appear in the magazine.

Second: another announcement. "Yes, Tiana, they do have boys in China."

I felt that needed to be said... more

I remember, when I was in the paperwork purgatory of the Long Wait for Daughter, reading a story online from one of those Been-There-Done-That parents about their flight home to the United States from China.

The woman was sitting with her new bundle of joy next to a Chinese businessman, who was, naturally, curious about what this white woman was doing with a Chinese infant in her arms. And she said, "Well, I'm her mother - we just adopted a Chinese baby and we're taking her home." And the businessman... more

Going to China in the near future? Looking for more news about what's going on? It might be getting a little more difficult - and helping out your child's Social Welfare Institute after you're back home might be getting a little more difficult too. The problem is communication.

Government officials seem to be getting a little fed up with the media after the latest food safety report reveals ... more

Somehow, last Sunday I missed this brief story. On the page, it seems a little too small for its significance.

The One-Child Policy is the Chinese government's response to a crippling overpopulation problem, and it's the reason why there's an international adoption program from China.

Urban couples are allowed... more

One of the things I did after we adopted Daughter was buy an erhu. I'm not sure exactly why - I had adopted a child, not any special skill as a musician - but I sort of fell in love with the old men and women sitting outside on Sunday mornings, playing their odd little two-string violins for anyone to hear. And, for someone who played a little guitar, it seemed an easy enough instrument to pick up.

When I finally,... more

Remember how China's food safety minister got sentenced to death last month?

Well, his appeals just ran out and ... more

So, y'all remember that thing about China's greening with the solar-powered city and the beating UN greenhouse gas limits and all? Sounded all hopeful and all? Well, there's still a ways to go.

China's government saw fit... more