Guest Columns
You are invited—and encouraged—to share your life experiences in the world of parenting here in our Guest Columns section. We'd love to hear about such things as your ways of keeping Chinese culture alive in your family, how you balance your pre-and post adoption experiences, how you are teaching your children Chinese, the difficulties/rewards of a two culture family, inter-racial issues you have encountered, etc. These experiences, and your advice, are especially valuable for all the other ChinaSprout families who are in the same boat. We would also welcome your articles, poems, and essays that introduce Chinese culture, Chinese people, and the Chinese language. We hope that your contribution to our Guest Columns will help all our ChinaSprout families raise happy, healthy children who are knowledgeable and proud of their Chinese heritage. Click here to submit your contribution. All articles presented here are displayed with the permission of their authors. They may not be reprinted or copied without the permission of the author.
Suddenly I saw a rainbow . . .
Letha Hadady is one of the nation's leading experts on natural Chinese remedies and author of books on health and beauty, including Asian Health Secrets and Personal Renewal.
Spring a time of Healing and Rebirth
Letha Hadady is one of the nation's leading experts on natural Chinese remedies and author of books on health and beauty, including Asian Health Secrets and Personal Renewal.
Happy Chinese New Year!!!
Letha Hadady is one of the nation's leading experts on natural Chinese remedies and author of books on health and beauty, including Asian Health Secrets and Personal Renewal.
Holiday Feasting and Fitness by Letha Hadady
Letha Hadady is one of the nation's leading experts on natural Chinese remedies and author of books on health and beauty, including Asian Health Secrets and Personal Renewal.
Happy, Healthy Holidays by Letha Hadady
Letha Hadady is one of the nation's leading experts on natural Chinese remedies and author of books on health and beauty, including Asian Health Secrets and Personal Renewal.
Cold and Flu Season by Letha Hadady
Letha Hadady is one of the nation's leading experts on natural Chinese remedies and author of books on health and beauty, including Asian Health Secrets and Healthy Beauty.
The Big Question in China
Doug McGill, a former reporter for the New York Times and Bloomberg News, is a Rochester, MN journalist, and teaches Journalism at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN.
Culture Club - By Patti Waldmeir
Patti Waldmeir is the Financial Times’ Legal Correspondent in Washington
Will My Chinese Granddaughter Remember?, by Evelyn Hannon
Evelyn Hannon is the Publisher and Editor of www.journeywoman.com
Making Kids Like Me in China, by Amy Klatzkin
Many people have asked if my eight-year-old daughter, Ying Ying Fry, wrote Kids Like Me in China all by herself. Are they kidding? She hadn’t the foggiest notion how to put a book together. But she did know she wanted to make one, and she had a lot to say.
Journey of the Heart - From a fathers perspective, by Mike Bruns
It has taken almost eleven years for my wife and I to get to this point. Though the journey has been long, it has given me a chance to mature as a person and become the father that I always hoped to be. Although the following article is just a snapshot of the last eleven years, it should give you some idea of my thoughts and feelings as I walked the path that ultimately lead to China.
The Evolution of My Thanksgivings, by Debi Strong
Debi Strong, our editor here at ChinaSprout, has chosen to share some of her thoughts and memories about the Thanksgiving celebrations in her life. Before you sit down to devour your turkey this year, read about how her feelings have evolved, from her childhood in New York City to last year's trip to Guangzhou.
My China Experience and A Chinese Chop, by Charlayne Stone
Excerpts From Letters To Xiaoning
Mommy Far, Mommy Near: An Adoption Story, by Carol Antoinette Peacock
I am an adoptive mother of two Chinese daughters, a child psychologist, and a writer of children's books. Naturally, as I began to select books for Elizabeth and Katherine, I had a special interest in children's adoption books.
A Passage to the Heart, by Amy Klatzkin
When our family traveled to China to adopt our daughter at the end of 1993, we wondered if we would ever know many families like ours. Two years later a group of us started our local chapter of Families with Children from China (FCC) and became part of a community larger, stronger and more supportive than we ever imagined. Like many FCC parents, we began to develop friendships with families like ours across the street, across the country, and around the world. All over North America and Europe, FCC parents have been working to build a network of support for families who share the life-changing experience of adopting a child from China.
I Love You Like Crazy Cakes, by Rose A. Lewis
"I Love You Like Crazy Cakes" began as a love letter to my daughter. I wanted her to know just how much I love her, what she means to me and how much joy she brings to my life.
The Lost Daughters of China, by Karin Evans
Hello, everybody. It is a great honor to talk with the subscribers to ChinaSprout, because I think it’s a wonderful resource for the community of adoptive families with children from China. Xiaoning Wang graciously asked me to write a little bit about my book, The Lost Daughters of China: Abandoned Girls, Their Journey to America, and the Search for a Missing Past, so here goes...
Rising to the Challenge of Raising Chinese Children in a Small Community, by Kyle Messner
Bringing your child up with a sense of her Chinese culture and heritage while living in a small rural town may be difficult, but it's not impossible. Read about this adoptive single-parent's wonderful experiences raising a daughter and creating a Chinese-learning community in Boone, North Carolina
The Making of a Family Culture, by Kyle Messner
As the parent of an adopted child from China, how are you defining your family's new culture and identity now that you have become "mixed"? And, what is "culture" anyway? There's lots of food for thought in, "The Making of a Family Culture," where Kyle Messner shares lessons she has learned as a professor of multicultural studies, as an adoptive parent, and as the sibling of a brother adopted from Korea in the 1960s.
Constant Culture Shock, by Gao Wei
Gao Wei is a Chinese woman who now lives in the U.S. Her daughter Maggie was born in the U.S. and is now 6 years old. Like adoptive families, Cindy's family also struggles with the issues of teaching Chinese language and culture to her child while living here under the influence of American culture. Read her first article in a series, "Our Constant Culture Shock: Chinese Parents with an American Born Child," to see how she and her husband are coping
Why We Chose China, by Debi Strong
Read about what one mother has to say when people ask, "Why did you adopt a Chinese child?" Debi Strong, the new Editor-in-Chief of ChinaSprout, shares her views with our community in her latest guest column. Debi is the mother of Tracy (17 yrs. old) and Brenna Xiaoxiao (17 months old), and lives in Vail, Colorado with her husband, dog, and fish.
Why Should Your Children Be Bilingual?, by Bet Key Wong
Bet Key Wong, an Asian American mother, gives us a straight-forward, no-nonsense look at the value of teaching your child a second language early in life. Ms. Wong also includes suggestions on how to encourage your child as(s)he endeavors to become bilingual.
Half Chinese/Half Caucasian, by Lora Mao
Lora Mao is a Caucasian woman married to a Chinese man, and they have a five-month-old daughter whom they plan to raise in both of their cultures. See what she has to say about her own experience in raising an interracial child. Lora also moderates our new Bulletin Board topic, "Raising Interracial Children”.
May You Live in Interesting Times?, Dr. Ho Yong
Have you ever heard of the proverb, "May you live in interesting times"? Were you told it was a Chinese proverb? You may be surprised when you read Dr. Ho Yong's answer to this question in response to a question from the PBS show, "Newshour with Jim Lehrer."
Can Our Children Have Family in China?
Many adoptive families try to search for the roots of their children. Most of them feel frustrated and lost during the search. Do their children have "families" in China? Dr. Moreland answers this question in his essay describing how he and his girls have found their "family" in China.
Most Frequently Used Words in Chinese, by Dr. Ho Yong
In this article, Dr. Ho Yong introduces you how “Yi” is used in all different situations. You can also hear the audio voice of the words consisting of “Yi” by clicking on the blue words below. Dr. Ho Yong, the author of the popular Chinese language book “Beginner’s Chinese” and the Director of Curriculum at the China Institute in New York, will be soon the host of our upcoming bulletin board discussion “Everything about Chinese Language”.
A 5 Year Old Girl’s Life In Beijing, by Xiaoning Wang
This is the first article of our Chinese Children’s Lives Series. We are introduced to a 5- year-old Beijing girl. Tou Tou and her life in kindergarten and at home. This article is based on interviews with Tou Tou and her Mom. We will continue this series with children’s lives in different cities and the countryside.
To my daughter Blake, the day we met, by Todd Giles
Todd, father of two adopted children Blake-lyn and Bailey, wrote a moving poem when he received referral of Blake in 1995. Since Todd and Tammy at that time were still very young (24 and 30), they knew they would receive a referral of a special needs child. Blake is deaf. They feel so blessed with their children they have adopted. Blake and Bailey are happy and healthy children. They attend local Chinese school. China is now and will forever be part of this growing family.
A Chinese Thanksgiving, by Lisa McClure
Lisa McClure adopted her daughter Lara in 1996. In early 1999, she and Lara returned China to gain a deeper understanding of the land and the people while Lara learns to live the life of a typical girl of her age in China. Lisa is a teacher of Liaoning Institue of Technology in Jinzhou, Northeast of the China. Lisa has shared her stories of their adventures in Lisa McClure’s Diary. Lisa and Lara just celebrated their first Thanksgiving in China. Lisa contributes a part of her diary describing this celebration to ChinaSprout’s visitors.
Why are You Trying to Learn Chinese?, by Debi Strong
Debi Strong will be traveling to China with her husband on 11/14/99 to pick up their new daughter, Brenna Xiaoxiao Strong, who was born 1/10/99 and currently lives at the Maoming Social Welfare Institution. For the past year she has been spending her nervous energy studying Chinese language and culture, among other things.
Interacting with China and the Chinese, by Marie Bartlett-Sloan
Marie Bartlett-Sloan and her husband Kirby have adopted three little girls from China, most recently a 2 year old this past July. They were in the third group from the Chicago area to travel to China in 1994 after the Chinese government reopened for international adoption. Marie wrote her ‘travel tips’ webpage to ease the way for those also planning to adopt from China.
Crossing the Rainbow Bridge, by Kimberly Howarth
Kimberly, mother of daughter Emily from ZhuZhou, Hunan province, has traveled to China for four times since she adopted Emily in 1995. While in China, Kim worked with Emily’s orphanage and met with local people while staying there. Kim is also the coordinator of Zhuzhou Adoptive Families and its website. She contributed this article to ChinaSprout’s visitors.
A New Sister, by Ellen Watson
Ellen is the older sister to 3 year-old Tong Ting, adopted in October 1998 from Tong Ling. Though Ellen did not make the journey to China with her mother, stepfather and brother, she hopes to travel there someday with Ting.
My Journey to China, by Larry Salaets
Larry Salaets is the father of Renée ZiXiu Salaets from Shijiazhuang, Hebei. To celebrate his adoption jouney, Larry has created a wonderful website with comprehensive information on China adoption along with a large referrals list of Chinese children, etc. Larry contributed this essay to ChinaSprout’s visitors.
Nutrition in Lead Poisoning, by Susan McQuillan, M.S., R.D.
Susan McQuillan is a registered dietitian who earns her living by writing books and magazine articles about food and nutrition. Her daughter Molly was born in Jiangxi province on November 15, 1997 and adopted on October 8, 1998. Susan made this special contribution to ChinaSprout’s visitors. She also moderates China Sprout’s bulletin board discussion forum for the topic of ”Nutrition”.
Bilingualism and Speech Delay, by Dr. Nancy Eng
Nancy Eng, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is a bilingual speech/language pathologist (Chinese- Cantonese/Mandarin/Toisanese and English) who is currently an Assistant Professor at Saint John's University. She is active in the American Speech, Language, and Hearing Association (ASHA) where she is a member of its Legislative Council, representing New York State's interest in the profession. Because she is fluent in several dialects of Chinese, she has been recommended to many families who suspect their child to have possible language learning difficulties or else to families who are interested in raising their children bilingually.
The Care in Chinese Orphanages, by Steve Forslind
Steve & Carol Forslind of Nashua, New Hampshire, are two very lucky parents who have adopted four daughters, 7 year-old Victoria Xinfen, 7 year-old Brittany Juanjuan, 13 year-old Jayne Taomei, and 13 year-old Melody Yuanyuan. Steve & Carol have shared their adoption experiences with families who are planning to adopt or have adopted children from China. With their permission, we have selected one of Q&A that Steve has published in his website.
Li Jie's Mother's Day Poem '98 By Joyce Morse
