Posts by Robyn
Adopting your baby–YOU magazine article
Or see this article on adopting your baby online in www.you.co.za: Many couples yearn for a baby of their own, but are challenged by circumstances and reproductive issues. Luckily, adoption can open...
Black, not like me. Questioning transracial adoption.
By Robyn Wolfson Vorster I saw a beautiful adoption picture this morning. It was of a mom and dad, each kissing a cheek of a gorgeous baby. The caption read: “When God made her, he had us in mind.” It was compelling. I found myself looking at it for a long time, enjoying the words, and wondering if I should...
Babies not for sale. Or are they?
By Robyn Wolfson Vorster IT WAS a shock, turning on the radio recently and hearing a government official publicly questioning my motives for adopting my beautiful daughter. In an interview on Talk Radio 702 about the declining number of adoptions, the spokeswoman for the Department of Social Development declared defensively that “our babies aren’t for sale”. The statement came...
Our “Heart Mama” story
Our story as told on the Heart Mama Blog on 5th December 2014. Tell us a bit about your family. This year marks the 21st anniversary of the year when Neil and I first met. We were friends for years before we finally surprised ourselves by falling in love. We’ve now been married for 13 years and run a...
Avoiding adoption pitfalls I: Problems with the process
How to safeguard your family when the adoption process goes wrong by Robyn Wolfson Vorster They are the stories that make the headlines—weeping adoptive families saying final goodbyes to distraught, confused or hysterical children, couples telling stories about life-altering adoption scams or parents relating how their adoptive child’s behavioural problems has negatively affected their lives. It may make for...
Avoiding adoption pitfalls II: Problems with attachment
What to do if your child struggles with attachment by Robyn Wolfson Vorster Regardless of the process that you use to adopt, adoptions can still go wrong if the child doesn’t attach or exhibits profound behavioural problems. Internationally, this is the adoption-related issue that receives the most attention, especially in first world countries where adopted children are often older...
Why so many men don’t want to adopt
Why some men struggle with adoption by Robyn Wolfson Vorster People talk to me now. It may sound odd, but since we adopted our daughter loads of strangers suddenly want to chat. The conversation varies but when I am speaking to women, one theme seems to come up over and over again. They chat animatedly for a bit and...
7 things you should never say to couples battling infertility
If you know a couple struggling with infertility, here are 7 some things you shouldn’t say by Robyn Wolfson Vorster Infertility brings with it an intimate, persistent pain that can last for decades. Unfortunately though, this private pain is often lived out very publically—everyone from close family to strangers on the bus want to know why you haven’t had children yet. As...