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Red Thread: An Adoptive Family Forum

The Red Thread is an informative and entertaining look at becoming and being an adoptive parent — from surviving the emotional rollercoaster of the adoption process to mastering the unique challenges and reaping the great rewards of raising adopted children. It’s written for adoptive parents and children and those interested in adopting.

The Red Thread column borrows its name from a Chinese legend that says when a child is born there is an invisible red thread that connects him or her to the people who are destined to be part of his or her life. While we cannot see the thread, over time its effects are seen as people become connected and their lives interwoven.

The Red Thread is designed to be an active, living forum -- an exchange of ideas.

 

Entries
  • Melanie Taylor Castelli's decadelong odyssey to become a mother. Photo: Melanie Castelli

    A long and winding road to motherhood

    Melanie Taylor Castelli's decadelong odyssey to become a mother. Published 8:56 a.m. August 24, 2010 - Comments

     
  • Last year 12,753 U.S. families adopted children from around the world. That number may sound high, but it actually represents an alarming drop in international adoptions.

    Tough times, longer waits lead to lower international adoption rates in America

    Last year 12,753 U.S. families adopted children from around the world. That number may sound high, but it actually represents an alarming drop in international adoptions. Published 1:18 p.m. August 2, 2010 - Comments

     
  • The Red Thread makes a few recommendations for great books on adoption written for children.

    Best adoption books for kids

    The Red Thread makes a few recommendations for great books on adoption written for children. Published 1:04 p.m. July 26, 2010 - Comments

     
  • Red Thread reader and adoptive mom Becky Allsup traveled a long and tricky road to create a family.

    How a family of three became a family of four

    Red Thread reader and adoptive mom Becky Allsup traveled a long and tricky road to create a family. Published 1:10 p.m. July 19, 2010 - Comments

     
  • The fact is a parent’s mettle isn’t tested when the going’s smooth and a child is thriving. The test of who you are a human being comes into play when the going gets tough.

    When it is simply bad parenting

    The fact is a parent’s mettle isn’t tested when the going’s smooth and a child is thriving. The test of who you are a human being comes into play when the going gets tough. Published 1:29 p.m. July 11, 2010 - Comments

     
  • Best-selling author and mother to nine children takes a break from her incredibly busy life to talk adoption and writing with The Red Thread.

    Interview with award-winning author Melissa Fay Greene

    Best-selling author and mother to nine children takes a break from her incredibly busy life to talk adoption and writing with The Red Thread. Published 2:36 p.m. July 1, 2010 - Comments

     
  • Our layover in Seoul was the longest layover in the world. We were in route to pick up our daughter and every minute seemed an eternity.

    The wait: En route to pick up baby

    Our layover in Seoul was the longest layover in the world. We were in route to pick up our daughter and every minute seemed an eternity. Published 10:15 a.m. June 22, 2010 - Comments

     
  • If your child looks the slightest bit different from you, it's only a matter of time before you'll be confronted by clueless comments from inappropriate strangers.

    Cross cultural adoption: Adults say the darndest things

    If your child looks the slightest bit different from you, it's only a matter of time before you'll be confronted by clueless comments from inappropriate strangers. Published 12:02 p.m. June 14, 2010 - Comments

     
  • Carrie Craft is one of the leading voices in the adoption and foster care community in the United States.

    Interview with Carrie Craft, Guide to Adoption

    Carrie Craft is one of the leading voices in the adoption and foster care community in the United States. Published 4:49 p.m. June 9, 2010 - Comments

     
  • Shuffling schedules, hunting down Internet travel deals and booking rooms has been consuming a good portion of the past week. And I relish it. I’m in the process of getting ready for our fourth Thai Nguyen reunio

    Thai Nguyen reunion

    Shuffling schedules, hunting down Internet travel deals and booking rooms has been consuming a good portion of the past week. And I relish it. I’m in the process of getting ready for our fourth Thai Nguyen reunio Published 11:53 p.m. June 2, 2010 - Comments

     
AUTHOR
Andrea Poe

Andrea Poe

Andrea Poe is a veteran journalist, whose work has appeared in thousands of publications, including Town & Country, Marie Claire and Entrepreneur.  She is the author of several books and her work has appeared in many others, including anthologies and college ...

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Andrea Poe is a veteran journalist, whose work has appeared in thousands of publications, including Town & Country, Marie Claire and Entrepreneur.  She is the author of several books and her work has appeared in many others, including anthologies and college textbooks. 

Andrea serves as editor of the Travel & Food section at The Washington Times Communities.  Her love of travel has led her to cover everything from remote villages in the Andes to her hometown of New York, from Paris to Pittsburgh, from Beijing to the Bahamas.  No matter where she travels, she likes to uncover the unusual and share with readers those often-overlooked aspects of a place and its people.  She dubs her column Raven’s Eye as a nod to her illustrious (and, yes, infamous) relative, Edgar Allan Poe, a writer who knew more than a little something about the quirky and unique.  

Andrea is also mother to Maxine, who was adopted from Vietnam in 2006, and is the inspiration for The Red Thread column on adoption at The Washington Times Communities.   Andrea is currently at work on a book on international adoption.

In addition to her work as mother, writer and traveler, she is the founder and president of Media Branding International, a consulting firm that helps individuals and organizations craft and promote their image in media outlets around the globe.

Find Andrea at andpoe@Twitter, on Facebook and LinkedIn.

Contact Andrea Poe

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