Please read this brutally honest letter. I'm not adopted but I'm a parent to 3 children came from Korea. One of them has their own hurts surrounding their adoption. That child has lots of questions...some of them are easy for me to answer because I have the information, others are deep thought provoking ones. I take those questions as they come and answer those that I can whether they are easy to answer or hard to answer. Sometimes that answer is "I am sorry, I do not know". And I feel horrible that I don't have the answer. "I don't know if your First Mom looked into your eyes and smiled. I don't know if your First Mom's favorite color is blue. I am so sorry that I don't know." Any time a question gets asked, it is always followed up by a hug and kiss.
Please read this article and let me know what you think.
~Jen
Friday, December 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
A Recent LGA Interview
Hi,
A friend of mine who also adopted from Korea was interviewed recently on the Land of Gazillon Adoptees. I'm hoping that you read it and decide to attend the KAAN conferences even if you haven't adopted from Korea but adopted transracially, are a grandparent to a transracial child, or from the Korean American community. And if you support what KAAN does, please consider donating your money and/or time...it's a worthwhile community!!! And besides I've met many friends there and Martha is just one of them!!
~Jen
A friend of mine who also adopted from Korea was interviewed recently on the Land of Gazillon Adoptees. I'm hoping that you read it and decide to attend the KAAN conferences even if you haven't adopted from Korea but adopted transracially, are a grandparent to a transracial child, or from the Korean American community. And if you support what KAAN does, please consider donating your money and/or time...it's a worthwhile community!!! And besides I've met many friends there and Martha is just one of them!!
~Jen
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Ethnic Attire for Halloween Costumes--I think NOT!!!!!!!!!
I was alerted by this from a friend of mine, Jennifer Hilzinger. She recently posted this to KAAN's facebook page and is allowing me to share. Since then, I found a news article on it on CNN's website. These students did an amazing thing in my opinion. They put in pictures and words what I had been saying and thinking...it's awful to consider a traditional cultural attire as a Halloween costume or to stereotype an ethnic group as well.
A question came up on a Facebook page that I like if we are dressing our children in their Hanboks for Halloween. WHAT ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? My children's precious hanboks would be used for them to parade around our neighborhood in to trick or treat???? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!! Hanboks were something that they wore as regular clothes each and every day and now are worn mainly on special occasions. To say that they can go trick or treating in is like saying that I don't care about Korea, my friends who are Korean, and my children and their Korean ancestors. Halloween is certainly NOT a special day to wear one. I posted back that I wouldn't be doing this and why.
On another Facebook page, the business was selling dress up Hanboks like a child would dress up in a surgeon's outfit or as a knight or as a construction worker. I read the comments on there and one woman who was going to buy it had reconsidered due to the comments made on the other page.
Please consider how you are treating the other ethnic groups when you dress up in their traditional attire that they would consider to be their heritage this Halloween season and always.
A question came up on a Facebook page that I like if we are dressing our children in their Hanboks for Halloween. WHAT ARE YOU KIDDING ME???? My children's precious hanboks would be used for them to parade around our neighborhood in to trick or treat???? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!! Hanboks were something that they wore as regular clothes each and every day and now are worn mainly on special occasions. To say that they can go trick or treating in is like saying that I don't care about Korea, my friends who are Korean, and my children and their Korean ancestors. Halloween is certainly NOT a special day to wear one. I posted back that I wouldn't be doing this and why.
On another Facebook page, the business was selling dress up Hanboks like a child would dress up in a surgeon's outfit or as a knight or as a construction worker. I read the comments on there and one woman who was going to buy it had reconsidered due to the comments made on the other page.
Please consider how you are treating the other ethnic groups when you dress up in their traditional attire that they would consider to be their heritage this Halloween season and always.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Birthday wishes for the Birthday Girl
As my oldest daughter celebrates her 6th birthday, I have my hopes and dreams for her as she gets older.
- I wish that she grows up knowing that she is very much wanted, cared for and loved. From the moment I heard that Seong Tae had a younger sibling, she was wanted and loved.
- I wish that nobody hurts her precious heart in her life. She has a big heart and while she may not voice her love, she shows it.
- I hope that her love of animals continues. One of her first words was an animal and she loves all animals big and small.
- I hope that her dream catcher in her room catches all of the bad dreams she has.
- I hope that she finds the love of a lifetime who puts her up on a pedestal, treats her like a princess and loves her for her.
- I hope that she lands her dream job whatever that may be (right now that is an elephant and beluga whale trainer).
- I hope that she never feels the pangs of hunger and that the shelves of her home are always full of food and that her home is full of love and warmth.
- I hope that her love for singing continues along with her love for gymnastics. You could ask her to sing and she'll clam right up with embarrassment however if you sit in my home and listen, you'll hear her singing upstairs.
- I hope that her love to help others continues and she finds a way to help others in need each day of her life.
Friday, May 20, 2011
KAAN Conference 2011
Facebook friends, did you read my prior posting about KAAN? If not read this one:
Do you know about KAAN and its wonderful annual conference? Do you know about the conference’s sessions that are wonderful not only to the adoption triad but also to the extended family and social workers as well? Do you know that the sessions are wonderful for those of us who have adopted transracially years ago but also for those of us who have adopted transracially recently?
My husband and I are going to our 3rd conference this year. We attended in 2007 in Boston (our children were just 3 and 2 years old with our youngest still in Korea), 2010 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and now 2011 in ATLANTA!!!! We have made KAAN friends from all over the US and in Korea and I cannot wait for KAAN this year to see them again.
For me, I am highly interested in the session Making Culture Camps Relevant for Children Adopted from Korea. My children attend Camp Mujigae (my oldest two have attended since 2006) and I have been volunteering at camp since 2007. It’s the only Korean cultural camp that I know of in the Northeast if not in the country that has a program for children under age 5 just like KAAN is the only Korean adoption organization that I know of that has an annual conference that is all over the country (once in Seoul Korea as well J) that you get to hear from all sides of the adoption (the good and the bad from adoptees, adoptive parents, social workers, birthparents from the US and Korea, screen movies like In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee, Adopted, and many others and discussing those movies with the producer(s) of those movies, has workers from the Korean adoption agencies, and many more).
KAAN has something for everyone…even children can attend KAAN and I look at it as an extension of Camp Mujigae for them. Next year I think you’ll see my husband and I with our children there and maybe some extended family members!! KAAN can be so emotional at times but also uplifting. I find that I learn something new from KAAN each time that we have gone and it’s wonderful in seeing my KAAN friends. I always take something away from the conference that I hadn't heard of before, or learning something more about myself in my role as a mother to 3 children from Korea.
The early registration for the 13th Annual Conference has been extended to May 31st and if you are attending for the first time, please mention my name when registering and both of our names will be put into a drawing for next year’s KAAN conference so if the name is drawn that person can attend for FREE!!! Go to KAAN Conference Sessions to check out the sessions, KAAN Registration to register and for more information send an email off to
• info@kaanet.com ... for general or program questions
• kaanregistration@aol.com ... for registration questions
Remember: Register now for the early registration rate and for those first timers, remember to add my name so that both of our names can be entered into the drawing to win registration to next year's KAAN conference!!
Do you know about KAAN and its wonderful annual conference? Do you know about the conference’s sessions that are wonderful not only to the adoption triad but also to the extended family and social workers as well? Do you know that the sessions are wonderful for those of us who have adopted transracially years ago but also for those of us who have adopted transracially recently?
My husband and I are going to our 3rd conference this year. We attended in 2007 in Boston (our children were just 3 and 2 years old with our youngest still in Korea), 2010 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and now 2011 in ATLANTA!!!! We have made KAAN friends from all over the US and in Korea and I cannot wait for KAAN this year to see them again.
For me, I am highly interested in the session Making Culture Camps Relevant for Children Adopted from Korea. My children attend Camp Mujigae (my oldest two have attended since 2006) and I have been volunteering at camp since 2007. It’s the only Korean cultural camp that I know of in the Northeast if not in the country that has a program for children under age 5 just like KAAN is the only Korean adoption organization that I know of that has an annual conference that is all over the country (once in Seoul Korea as well J) that you get to hear from all sides of the adoption (the good and the bad from adoptees, adoptive parents, social workers, birthparents from the US and Korea, screen movies like In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee, Adopted, and many others and discussing those movies with the producer(s) of those movies, has workers from the Korean adoption agencies, and many more).
KAAN has something for everyone…even children can attend KAAN and I look at it as an extension of Camp Mujigae for them. Next year I think you’ll see my husband and I with our children there and maybe some extended family members!! KAAN can be so emotional at times but also uplifting. I find that I learn something new from KAAN each time that we have gone and it’s wonderful in seeing my KAAN friends. I always take something away from the conference that I hadn't heard of before, or learning something more about myself in my role as a mother to 3 children from Korea.
The early registration for the 13th Annual Conference has been extended to May 31st and if you are attending for the first time, please mention my name when registering and both of our names will be put into a drawing for next year’s KAAN conference so if the name is drawn that person can attend for FREE!!! Go to KAAN Conference Sessions to check out the sessions, KAAN Registration to register and for more information send an email off to
• info@kaanet.com ... for general or program questions
• kaanregistration@aol.com ... for registration questions
Remember: Register now for the early registration rate and for those first timers, remember to add my name so that both of our names can be entered into the drawing to win registration to next year's KAAN conference!!
Thursday, May 5, 2011
This Children's Day Won't You Help??
I'm on Facebook and I'm a fan of TRACK (Truth and Reconciliation for the Adoption Community of Korea) on there. They sent their fans a posting to a gift drive that they are having for single mothers in Korea who can not afford to buy stuff that we would consider to be basics for raising a child. Some of the stuff these mothers are asking for are so basic that it's almost surprising for a Westerner to read. Stuff like diapers for one expectant mother for her unborn child, books for another child, toys for others, a backpack for another and more. One caught my eye and we decided to participate in the gift drive for this family.
There are still several others that could use your help.
I'm hoping that you will read this, go to TRACK's website and pick a family to help out.
You'll be putting a smile not only on a child's face but also their mother's as well.
~Jen
There are still several others that could use your help.
I'm hoping that you will read this, go to TRACK's website and pick a family to help out.
You'll be putting a smile not only on a child's face but also their mother's as well.
~Jen
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