We’ve carefully selected these blogs because they are actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with frequent updates and high-quality information. If you would like to tell us about a blog, nominate them by emailing us at bestblogs@healthline.com!
The state of Massachusetts passed the nation’s first adoption law in 1851. Since then, the rules and regulations — not to mention the cultural significance — of adoption have changed dramatically in the United States.
Today, roughly 135,000 children are adopted in the United States every year. Even though the term “adoption” carries less stigma than it did 40 or 50 years ago, many children who are adopted carry a litany of emotions as a result. While not all adoptees feel this way, many face feelings of abandonment and unworthiness that can persist for years, if not a lifetime.
Often the cultural narrative of adoption is told almost exclusively from the side of the adoptive parent — not the adoptees themselves. The blogs we’ve listed are changing that. They include a diverse range of voices shining a light on the issues, concerns, and experiences of the adoptee community.
Started in 2011, Lost Daughters is an independent collaboration of women who write about their experiences of being adopted. Their mission is to create a safe space for adoptees to turn to when they need to express themselves. Writers deal with themes of abandonment and resilience, explore the institutions which shepherd and promote adoptions, and foster an open space for productive dialogue around adoption.
This blog, written by Amanda Transue-Woolston, is intensely personal. She started off writing about her experience finding her birth parents. Once she accomplished that feat, she turned her interests toward adoptee activism. Her site offers a wealth of knowledge regarding the legal adoption process. Her goal is to challenge the notion that adoption is a mysterious process, and we think she is well on her way.
This anonymous adoption blog is a wonderful safe space for those who are adopted and want to share their experiences. The posts here are raw. Most detail the insecurities that often come with being an adoptee. These include an inability to trust, along with painful memories of being removed from birth parents’ homes. If you are an adoptee and have experienced these issues or any other feelings about being adopted and want a place to express those concerns, this is the place for you.
On this very personal blog, Becky chronicles her journey to find her biological parents. She shares with readers her innermost thoughts and struggles when it comes to her adoption experience. Some of her most intriguing posts include a breakdown of the costs associated with her own adoption, and what is was like to hear that her birth father was suffering from health issues.
This blog offers a plethora of stats regarding the adoption process, plus a host of first-person accounts. Perspectives and opinions vary. For example, a post about the pros and cons of celebrating your adopted child’s day of adoption vs. their actual birthday, presents arguments for both sides. Some of the posts are personal, while other reflect on stories on a national level. But they all provide interesting and intriguing perspectives on the world of adoption.
Jessenia Arias doesn’t hold back when it comes to talking about the trauma that children often face during and after adoption. Resources are available for readers that include adoption support groups for people of color. You’ll also find posts on the long-term emotional effects of adoption. And advice on how to forgive your birth parents along with resources for finding educational scholarships for adopted children.
This blog is perfect for people seeking a better understanding of adoption from the Christian community perspective. Profoundly spiritual, blog author Deanna Doss Shrodes has written no less than four books on adoption. As a minister, public speaker, and an adoptee, Doss Shrodes brings to the table a unique perspective. Her faith provides the foundation for her courage to speak out about her own experience.
V.L. Brunskill is an adoptee and acclaimed author who found her birth parents 25 years ago. Her writings about how the current political climate impacts adoption have a literary quality. One of her most touching posts was from Mother’s Day. She wrote a moving piece in which she speaks fondly of her adopted mother and birth mother.
Pamela A. Karanova found out she was adopted when she was 5 years old. She spent 20 years searching for her biological parents. Her first post is an open letter to her birth mother, in which she describes dreaming of their blissful reunion and how that contrasted with reality. This soul-baring post lays the groundwork for the other content on her blog.
This blog is a wealth of information for people of Native American descent who’ve been adopted. Books, court cases, research papers, and first person accounts — it’s all there. Watch videos detailing the struggles faced by the Native American community relating to adoption, read about the latest legal news relating to adoptee rights, and more.
The author of Black Sheep Sweet Dreams is African-American and was adopted into a white middle class family. She does a fabulous job of using multimedia to provide valuable information about adoption. Her site is about supporting others who want to find their biological parents, and how to go about achieving that goal.
Daniel calls himself an adopted adult. He believes that adoption is marketed as a candy-coated process that is seemingly unconcerned about the actual families and children it impacts. In one of his posts, he talks about The Adoption Honesty Project, a movement he established with the intent to “take back” the word adoption from the negative connotations it’s often associated with, particularly on social media.
East-West of the Bodhi Tree chronicles the life of Brooke, a Sri Lankan woman who was adopted as a baby by an Australian family. Her goal is to personalize the adoption process by focusing on the people who are adopted. Her posts cover issues like race, the debate on whether or not to change your name, and more.
This blog tackles the often intertwined issues of international and transracial adoption. Author JaeRan Kim was born in South Korea and adopted into an American family in 1971. Kim is great at describing the push and pull of being a person of color in a white family, what it means to be Korean, and what it means to be American. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop.
Visit the blog.
The Adopted Life brings the issue of transracial adoption front and center. It started off as a personal journey for Angela Tucker, who is African-American and was adopted into a white family. Today, her site is also home to a video series of the same name. Tucker interviews guests who are navigating adoption. The conversations are heartwarming, insightful, and surprising.
Lynn Grubb’s blog is filled with resources for anyone who is coming to terms with being adopted. And there are sections on DNA testing and what the future holds for adoption. She also offers reading recommendations for dealing with the emotional effects of adoption and about the legalities of finding your birth parents. Grubb is also the author of “The Adoptee Survival Guide.”
Terri Vanech takes life one blog post at a time. Not every post is about adoption. For example, one fun post is about a conversation between the plumbers who were working on some busted pipes in her house. Another post tackles the thorny subject of adoption law and the secrecy that surrounds many adoptions. A reader could linger for hours over the mixture of fun and serious content.
Christina Romo was abandoned as a baby in Seoul, Korea. She doesn’t remember that time, but in her blog posts, she creates a narrative around her feelings about that fateful day. You won’t be able to read her posts, like Dear Subway Station Baby, without being moved.
Another immensely personal adoption blog, All in the Family Adoption, is authored by Robin. Her blog contains a mix of content — some personal writings along with research resources for adoptees looking to find their birth parents. Robin also does a great job promoting other blogs that are written from the adoptee’s point of view. Come here for diverse reads!
Author Elaine Pinkerton was adopted at the age of 5. She began keeping a diary when she was 10, and four decades later she decided to turn 40 years of journals into a book. Her blog posts cover her activities, her travels, and how publishing her story helped her heal from her adoption.