Parents at Last: Celebrating Adoption and the New Pathways to Parenthood

For some, parenthood comes easily; for others, the path to parenthood is long and paved with challenges, not only physical but emotional and financial as well. In words and photographs, Parents at Last celebrates 32 couples and individuals who persevered in their quest to become parents, often in the face of formidable odds.

These parents used any and every means available to them in order to bring a child into their lives, from adoption, both international and domestic, to high-tech medical procedures and even surrogacy. Their first-person narratives, accompanied by Helen Garber's revealing photographs, share both the highs and the lows they encountered on their journeys.

"In the Beginning" looks at new parents, those for whom the memories of infertility, bureaucratic red tape, or the difficulties of single parenthood are still vivid, though tempered by the joy and excitement of their new arrival. "The Wonder Years" offers stories from families that have had a bit more time to reflect on the changes they experienced, and are beginning to grapple with some of the questions that inevitably arise around
adoptive and medically assisted pregnancies. "In the Parenting Trenches" recounts the experiences of families with older children, and how parents cope with the dual challenges of adolescence and a family structure seen as different by much of the outside world. Lastly, "Pioneers Share Their Wisdom" focuses on those who have successfully seen their children to adulthood and the profound life lessons theyve learned along the way.

Whether they chose adoption, sophisticated medical procedures, or even surrogacy, the individuals
profiled in Parents at Last speak candidly of the obstacles and rewards they encountered in their roles as new parents. Their moving stories are sure to offer hope and encouragement to all those on their own paths to parenthood.

For anyone who has ever struggled to build the family of their dreams, or been touched by that struggle, the unique stories of the 32 families collected here are an inspiration. These movingly honest accounts, some told from the flush of new
parenthood, others offering the perspective made possible by years or even decades in the parenting trenches, confront the challenges and celebrate the pleasures of the new paths to parenthood.

Cynthia V. N. Peck is the educational director and caseworker for Seedlings, Inc., a licensed New Jersey adoption agency that she helped to found. She is also the founder and publisher of Roots & Wings adoption magazine, which has subscribers in the United States and nineteen foreign countries. She is the parent of nine adopted children.

Wendy Wilkinson has been a public relations specialist for more than two decades and is a freelance writer with a masters degree in journalism. She is the mother of a two-and-a-half-year-old adopted daughter.