Ever have those feelings when you just know something is missing, but you don't know what that something is? I've been feeling that way lately, I keep wandering around, rummaging through drawers, blankly staring at the TV. But I think I've finally figured out what was missing. We haven't heard anything about Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt adding to their family. Angelina Jolie hasn't added to her family through adoption since completing the adoption of little Pax from Vietnam in 2007. And she hasn't given birth since the twins joined the Jolie-Pitt crew in July 12, 2008. Well, guess what - she is adopting again! This time Angelina Jolie is looking to adopt a little girl from the Asian country of Syria and her partner, Brad Pitt's name is not on the adoption paperwork. Some are saying this means that Brad Pitt is against the adoption. I think some people have forgotten that Angelina adopted Pax singly as it went against Vietnam law for an unmarried couple to adopt a child. Pitt then adopted Pax once he got home. This could very well be the case with this latest adoption.

Congrats to the family! I'm looking forward to reading more about the new addition to the Jolie-Pitt family.

SOURCES:
Report: Jolie to adopt again
ANGELINA JOLIE - JOLIE TO ADOPT AGAIN - REPORT

The International Soundex Reunion Registry (ISRR) was developed with the idea of providing a means for families that have been separated due to divorce, adoption, or foster care to reunite. ISRR is a mutual consent adoption registry, meaning that for the registry to work, each adult (18 and over), has to have registered with ISRR in order for a match to be made. Many volunteers and visitors to the booths share their touching stories of adoption reunion or the pain of a fruitless adoption search.

RegDay or Adoption Registration Day is an annual one day event to increase public awareness of the International Soundex Reunion Registry. RegDay will be held on November 14, 2009 this year and is in need of more volunteers in established sites as well as for volunteers willing to coordinate new sites.

If you were involved with RegDay in the past, please leave a comment below and share your story!

One RegDay volunteer shares the following:

"One young woman(an adoptee) - late twenties I think - came in with her boyfriend - took the form to register and got some info about searching as well. She was quite soft-spoken and articulate. Said she had wonderful parents, did not have to know about her past, but, felt somehow it was part of her essence as to who she was. Said that she felt if she did not search, on her death bed, she would regret it.

Our event touches a few people very dramatically, but, we need to find ways to bring in more people - especially those birth moms still in their safe cocoons as I was until over 3 years ago. Many of them have children who are signing up, but, Soundex only works if both parties register. The fear of the unknown paralyzes many of us though - that's why those of us who are reunited work tirelessly to de-mystify search and reunion for people. We know what a difference reunion has made in our lives."

Yes, seven years ago today, my husband, myself, and our daughter finalized the foster care adoption of our 3 boys. We fostered them for two years before facing a judge in Wichita, KS to make it all official. It's funny that we finalized in November during National Adoption Month, but back then I didn't even realize it was National Adoption Month. Many families plan for it to occur in November just for that reason, but we just fell into it.

Parenting three teen boys with high emotional and behavioral needs was no picnic in the park. But we did learn a lot from our time together as a family and I believe we are all better people for the experience. Every trial they face is still yet another growing and learning opportunity for us.

We have never made our adoption anniversary a big deal - more of a, "hey, do you remember what today is?" type of thing. Some families go all out and it becomes another holiday. What is your adoption finalization day to you and your family?

How do you celebrate your adoption anniversaries? Is it a special day in your home, or does it just become like any other day?

Suggested Reading:
How To Complete a Foster Care Adoption

Thanks to a high school friend, I was given the opportunity to speak to her class this morning about the culture of foster care. It was a small group of college students in an entry level social work class about marriage and family.

We talked about family as a system and a bit about different cultural clues that we can observe in those around us. I then presented the concept that when a family decides to become a foster family, the family must blend their own culture, the foster child's culture, as well as the culture of the foster care system. The foster family takes on a completely new culture that is a diverse mixture of ideas and values that they have artfully combined - all while not giving up their core beliefs. It can be exhausting.

The class asked me a few questions about my experiences, but got off track a bit when they questioned a certain regulation. In our area, foster families are not allowed to have trampolines and foster children are not supposed to jump on trampolines. This seemed to completely trip the class out. "How can foster children expect to have normal childhood experiences if they can't jump on a trampoline."

Welcome to the foster care system. Oh, and I had a great time sharing with the class!

Perhaps the class would like to add this to the list of things they'd like to change about the foster care system?

Suggested Reading:
If I Could Change the Foster Care System I Would...
Great Foster Parents Understand the Importance of Culture and Lifebooks
Learning About the Culture of Foster Care - Foster Care Alumni of America's Community Art Project