Congrats!

Uma describes the first time she saw Baby A at the adoption agency.

It was a sunlit Friday morning, a morning perfect for love. Baby A was asleep, his pink cheeks flushed with the heat, but as we bent over him to look at his tiny sleeping form, he opened his eyes. We took him all around the neighbouring school campus. He looked at the trees, crows, children with sleepy interest. He smiled.

Congratulations Uma on the new addition to your family. Wishing the baby everything wonderful!

Multilingual Children.

Lakshmi ponders about raising a child in a multilingual environment. This is her interesting background:

1. My mother tongue : Tamil 2. LG's dad's (The Seniol) mother tongue : Bengali 3. LG's dad speaks with his dad in : Punjabi (as he grew up in Punjab) 4. I talk with LG's dad in : English and Hindi 5. Language of the environment : Marathi (we live in Pune)

Tricky indeed!

The Good Wife's Guide.

Krishnapriya finds a gem while looking for good housekeeping tips. Any of you want to try? ;)

My personal favorite point is this one:

Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.

Happy Mothers Day!

Wishing all the Mommies a very Happy Mothers day! Have fun!

A Play Date Problem.

An Indian Mommy is facing a dilemma. This is how she explains it:

"A friend of mine keeps calling my kids over for a play date with her kids.They're all the same age. For some reason, my children don't want to go to her house. They haven't said why, but they are most reluctant. I suspect it's because the parents yell at their children a lot, and that scares my kids.I don't know how to say no to this woman. I usually don't reciprocate by calling her kids over, but she doesn't seem to get the hint. In fact, she'll call and invite her kids over. I have run out of excuses now. I can't tell her what the problem is to her face - Indians simply don't do that."

She also adds that her kids have no problem if her friends children come to their place. They just don't want to go to her friends house.

Any suggestions?

Adoption in India.

The Visitor has done a fantastic job by putting together some information on how to go about Adoption in India. I am reproducing the entire post here as per his(?) suggestion.

Please do leave a link in the comment box if any of you have any relevant information.

Thanks a tonne, Visitor.

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Today CNN-IBN was flashing a 'news' item about baby Shiv being given for adoption to a family after a court battle - read Court gives abandoned baby to millionaire family.

In my youth, after reading 'inspirational stories' in Reader's Digest, in a bout of idealism, I too had often harboured visions of having adopted children. I remember that some friends of ours, a childless couple by choice, had adopted a boy and a girl. I used to be surprised that they had decided to have only adopted children, because I think it requires mental maturity and strength to be able to do it. Today, if I ask myself whether I am mentally prepared to adopt a child, my response would be no. I think I dont possess the mental reserve to take up such a commitment.

From what they said, I gathered that the legal adoption process in India, was a rigorous and often times a time-consuming process. And not without reason - they check the background of the prospective parents, their marital stability, financial stability, mental preparedness and various other parameters.

Recently in Indian Mommies, in a debate on whether one should have the second baby or not, some mommies had expressed the desire to adopt a second child.

I thought it might be useful to share some information regarding the adoption process in India. (Courtesy: Google) :)

To start with one can see the FAQ section of indianngos.com - which gives a brief outline of the process through its FAQ.

ICHILD - India Adoption Resources - is a website and mailing list, that gives support to persons who are thinking of adoption. I quote from their web-site:

The purpose of the ICHILD WEB SITE & MAILING LISTS would hopefully be to offer a source of inspiration, information, support & resources for those interested in adoption from India and the subcontinent. And of course, to help bring together prospective adoptive parents and children in India who wait for their families.

This link takes you to the adoption process page from their site.

Alliance for Children is an adoption agency that places children with adoptive parents.

The Alliance for Children, Inc. is a non-profit international adoption agency based in Massachusetts, serving families throughout the USA.

We have placed thousands of children from around the world in permanent adoptive homes.

They are currently not accepting applications for adoption of children from India.

Catalysts for Social Action (CSA) - This site also provides some info on in-country adoption process, costs etc.

Catalysts for Social Action (CSA) is a Social Welfare Organization promoted by Kale Consultants Ltd., India, a reputed IT Consulting Company with global presence. CSA commenced operations in September 2002. We work on Child Welfare which includes Adoption, Foster Care, and Institutionalised Rehabilitation. Our specific focus is on Adoption. A key role for us is to work as Catalysts / Change Agents. Our aim is to enhance the total number of adoptions in the country. Also, to work towards better child care while the child is institutionalized.

CARA - Central Adoption Resource Agency - this site provides information on adoption in/from India. One can download relevant forms too from here.

Central Adoption Resource Agency is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Women & Child Development, which functions as the Central Authority of the Government of India in matters related to adoptions.

Read their FAQ.

I have obtained all the above information from the web. The information is neither comprehensive nor definitive.
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