May 022012
 

I need you to go read this blog. In its entirety. It’s not long just yet, only three posts. It was started just recently by a birth father that made his way into our Ohio Birth Parent Group. His story broke my heart for many reasons, but let me share a bit of it with you in his words.

From his first post:

I have decided to start this blog because there is a boy out there who has a Daddy or “Birth Father” that he has yet to meet. Not because of his decision and definitely not because of my decision. In fact, up until about 45 days ago I never even knew I had a son. How could this be you ask? Great question, please let me tell you…

Yes, he has a son that was relinquished for adoption without his knowledge or permission. He is understandably flabbergasted and upset and likely a million other emotions in between. I have told him to reach out to the bloggers behind some other birth father blogs who have sadly lived the same life, though most of those come from further west and not here in Ohio. He has not met his son though the DNA came back as a match. He’s now in a waiting period where the adoptive family, also understandably shocked, holds all the power. He’s having a crash course in the issues of adoption, isn’t he?

I have no patience for mothers who do this to fathers. I have even less patience for a completely corrupt adoption industry that allows things like this to happen. I hate that we are unnecessarily, unethically and illegally taking children from parents who would parent, who would be fantastic parents, simply for the almighty dollar. It’s horrifying.

Ranting aside, please go support this “new” birth father. Like many in the adoption niche of the blogosphere, this was not his choice. At all. He needs the love and support of the lot of us right now and I encourage you to do so.

 Posted by at 8:27 am
Sep 132011
 

I thought I should let you all know about the Adoption Film Festival happening at the University of Pittsburgh this weekend. I received an email from Laura reminding me about it which jogged the memory that Kate was also attending.

I’ll share the list of movies and “respondents” on panel. Please note the 3:00 one.

Adoption on Film: Families Lost and Found
September 16 -17, 2011 Frick Fine Arts Auditorium
University of Pittsburgh

Friday, September 16 7:30 pm
Wo Ai Ni (I Love You) Mommy (Stephanie Wang-Breal, 2010)

Director Stephanie Wang-Breal will present and discuss.

Saturday, September 17 1:00 pm
Adopted: For the Life of Me (Jean Strauss, 2010)
Respondent: Amanda Woolston, founder of AdopteeRights PA

3:00 pm
To Each His Own (Mitchell Leisen, 1946)
Respondents: Kate Livingston, Ph. D. candidate in Women’s Studies, OSU,
and Molly Brown, Lecturer in Film Studies, Pitt

7:30 pm
Secrets and Lies (Mike Leigh, 1996)
Respondents: Alison Patterson, Visiting Lecturer, Film Studies, Pitt
Marianne Novy, Professor, English, Pitt

Presented by Pittsburgh Consortium for Adoption Studies, University of
Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences Department of English, Film
Studies Program, Women’s Studies Program, Three Rivers Families with
Children from China

For more information contact mnovy@pitt.edu or alp30@pitt.edu

I really wish I was going, not because I think sitting and watching adoption movies for 24 hours would do my psyche good. But just because I think it would be fun to see Kate up front and make faces at her. Especially since I can’t attend the Ohio Birthparent Group this month which happens to be the very next day. I can’t attend OBG because my husband works his 24 hour shift on Sunday and BigBrother has a soccer game. That simply doesn’t work. Such is life. Sometimes I can make a choice to go and sometimes I have to make the choice to stay home.

Anyway, I can’t go to the Film Festival because I’ll be presenting at PodCamp with BurghBaby. We’ll be presenting Blogging 201: Keeping Your Blog Going. I could be all self-snarky and say something like, “One way to keep your blog going is to do something that will give your life-long grief and loss. Then you’ll never run out of things to say!” In fact, I might say something of that nature, but not quite in the same way.

If you’re attending the Film Festival, please blog about it so I can feel like I was there. If you’re attending PodCamp (it’s free!), attend our session. Or go to the Film Festival. Either way, enjoy Pittsburgh this weekend. I will be!