Adopting Hope: Stories and Real Life Advice from Birthparents, Adoptive Parents, and Adoptees (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781641700368)

All My Children actress Jill Larson moved mountains as a single mother to adopt her daughter from China. George Fadok, a former Navy commander, grappled with "changing the rules" eighteen years after placing his daughter in a closed adoption. Angela Paxton, Texas state senator and an adoptee, never thought she would ever meet her birthmom, but when she did, it changed her life.

Embarking on an adoption journey can be daunting, but now you are not alone This collection of true, beautiful accounts, including Larson's, Fadok's, and Paxton's, takes an honest look at the process, the struggles, and the undeniable joy that comes with adoption. With insights from all three adoption triad viewpoints, Adopting Hope shares a wealth of lessons learned and tips for every person contemplating an adoption journey.

• How to have the courage to adopt
• How to decide on an open vs. a closed adoption
• How to handle a foreign adoption
• How to survive the agonizing wait to become parents
• How to tell your adopted child "the story"
• How to make your adopted child feel loved
• How to negotiate a relationship with your child's birth parents
• How to help your child work through feelings of loneliness or rejection
• How to dispel negative attitudes you will encounter about adoption
• And so much more, including suggestions from birthparents and adoptees

From Lorri Antosz Benson, author of To Have and Not to Hold, this heartfelt compilation is ultimately a message of hope, love, and destiny as each family discovers the truth that a child doesn't need to be blood to be truly yours.