Adoption and the Single Mother

When I heard that pop star Madonna was finally granted an adoption to an adorable 4-year-old girl named Chifundo “Mercy” James, I was happy for her. Controversy has swirled around the pop star from other South African would be adopters citing, "Madonna is getting privilege to adopt because she is rich."

I was stunned at those comments. I mean, if Mercy's father, who claims he has not seen the child since the mother died (she was a teenage mother by the way), and really wanted to care for the child, wouldn't he have at least made an attempt to get Mercy? Why wait until Madonna wants to adopt her? He claims that Mercy's maternal side blocked him from adopting her...

Well anyway, courts in South Africa ruled and Mercy will be going home to live with Madonna and the rest of her family in NYC, or wherever she wants to.

Which is the point of this posting...

There are some women who cannot have children and adoption is the choice for them. I have no problem with that as long as one can take care of a child. Single Mothers By Choice an organization fully committed to those that want to care for a child by choice. They stake their claim here:

"A single mother by choice is a woman who decided to have or adopt a child, knowing she would be her child's sole parent, at least at the outset. Typically, we are career women in our thirties and forties. The ticking of our biological clocks has made us face the fact that we could no longer wait for marriage before starting our families. Some of us went to a doctor for donor insemination or adopted in the United States or abroad. Others accidentally became pregnant and discovered we were thrilled."

I am thrilled, too. Just like it doesn't bother me if a gay or lesbian couple wants to adopt a child. As long as they can provide for the child, why not? Instilling good values to have that child grow up in a loving family is all that matters.

Why all the controversy over adopting by single mothers? Because according to the US Census Bureau, there are approximately 13.6 million single mothers raising children alone. That counts for at least 21.2 million children being raised without a father. So yes, as a single person thinking about adoption, you need money...

So I don't knock Madonna for adopting children, she is filthy rich and can do it. I don't knock Oprah who opened a school in South Africa for impoverished girls, calling them her "daughters", and I daggone sure do not knock the gay and lesbian community to reach out and adopt children. After a non-adopted child turns 18, they are on their own.

So no, I don't knock this at all. Go 'head Madonna!

But if you're a single woman and want to adopt because of not being able to conceive, or you just want to adopt versus conceive, do know the steps are plenty. It can be done though. Keep a straight and narrow record, work history and rental and/or homeownership history. And you need money. For more information on adopting, visit, www.adopting.org.

Good Luck!

Scholarships for Moms-Deadline June 15th

Hurry!!! If you want to go back to school, there is a contest for a scholarship for mothers. Always wanting to look out for my single mother friends, please visit: http://www.scholarships4moms.net. You owe it to yourself to go back to school or save the money to send your child to school! Going back to school will make you more marketable, stronger and powerful! I am happy to have completed my degree online and you can do the same. Check it out: http://www.scholarships4moms.net and do not forget to start your financial aid package here: http://www.fafsa.gov. This is the Federal Student Aid website where you can apply for pell grants, student loans and other grants. Let me know how you're doing or if you need help with the process!

Good Luck!

Make some money writing online-Part 1

I know several single mothers who work two jobs. Heck, I know some that work three jobs. I don't know how we do it. I tried working a second job one time, but with school still winding down, I just couldn't find the energy to do this.

That's where technology steps in. There are several ways for the single mother population to make money while at home. It takes time yes, but if you stick with it, results will follow.

1) Blogging-My own blog is a sample for beginners. Utilize blogger.com to start your own blog about a topic (s) you love. Begin to monetize your blog by adding ads and links to affiliated products that you sell outside of your blog. Visit Problogger.net for more information. Set up an account at google adsense.

2) Write for associatedcontent.com. They are my favorite! I have made friends on here, can post my articles, research papers and reviews that are at least 500 words. I have made as much as $4-10 per article. Not bad for pumping out a few articles in a couple of weeks, gaining some extra cash for something that had to get pushed to the back burner (movies, shoes, etc.)

3) One that I have not explored yet is families.com This is a site that allows you to write about family topics and with us being single mothers, there is lots to blog about since we do just about everything.

I will be conducting these posts into a series this month, so stay tuned. Don't fret over the summer, (recession) and get started. There's something for everyone on the net to make money!