Mary Bissell

The long lines at the voting booths on Nov. 2 were dwarfed by the hoards of gamers who lined up a week later in cities around the country, anxiously awaiting an inaugural copy of the most hotly anticipated video game in American entertainment history. With more than $80 million in expected profits, this shoot-em-up sensation may not change the world, but it could help put the compassion back into conservatism by providing a much-needed financial boost for key domestic programs.

From… more

For Cora Featherson , a 54-year-old Memphis woman who is raising her granddaughter and six nieces, nephews and cousins, taking care of family is more than a responsibility.

"If you can find room in your house and your heart, you have to help," says Featherson. "I've come this far, and I can't let these kids down."

Since she took in her first child almost 20 years ago, Featherson has worked hard to keep her family out of foster care, relying on her… more

Today's carefully scripted political campaigns may pay lip service to the diverse interests of seniors, but a surprising number of candidates and their doting political strategists still think the senior vote is won or lost on the battlefield of Social Security and Medicare -- the so-called "third rail" of American politics. Of course, no one worth their political salt would say it out loud, but the stereotype of the "greedy geezer" is still an indelible fixture in the campaign… more

Erma Newell is no stranger to adversity. As a teenager, this Laurel resident and her family housed Freedom Riders and endured threats from the KKK as they registered their neighbors to vote. She and her husband of 35 years raised their four children while working full-time as a nurse's assistant and firefighter. And when her son lost his battle with substance abuse four years ago, the Newells began raising three grandchildren, now teenagers. "It wasn't a choice," says Mrs. Newell,… more

Victoria Walker knows a thing or two about staying flexible. This Nashville grandmother is raising seven grandchildren, ages six to fifteen. Even with osteoporosis and two injured shoulders, Mrs. Walker still manages to turn herself inside out to keep her family together. "I didn't want them to go to strangers and lose each other forever," she says. "They didn't ask for this."

For the last five years, Mrs. Walker has struggled to keep her grandchildren out of foster care, relying on… more

When her grandson was born, Wilma Ullum was overjoyed. The Davisville grandmother loaded up on toys, clothes and plenty of diapers. She baby-sat, sometimes for days at a time, while her daughter looked for a job and got settled in Morgantown. But later, when she decided to surprise her family for her grandson's second birthday, it was Ms. Ullum who got the shock.

"My grandson was so skinny you could count his ribs," remembers Ullum, "he wouldn't smile, wouldn't talk. He'd… more

It was a love story from the beginning, and now the Rev. Joseph Hardy wants to make it legal. For the past four years, the Rev. Hardy, a Baptist minister from Tampa, and his wife have been raising their great-grandchildren, ages 2, 4 and 6. "They've got us, we've got them, and we want to keep it that way," the Rev. Hardy says of the couple's decision to initiate adoption proceedings.

The only thing standing in the way is a staggering… more

They fight over how to fix it and how to fund it, but Republicans and Democrats agree on one thing in this contentious election year: America's troubled foster care system is in dire need of repair. From New Jersey to Texas to California, states are unveiling unprecedented plans to stop the steady stream of child tragedies, including nationally publicized cases of starvation and murder. To expedite the reform process, the Pew Commission on Foster Care recently released its promising… more

As gay marriage opponents guard the traditional legal boundaries of adult relationships, Arkansas child welfare officials are defending a policy that denies abused and neglected children relationships with supportive foster families.

And the rest of the country is watching. Last month, Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Tim Fox began hearing arguments in the ACLU's constitutional challenge against the Arkansas Child Welfare Agency Review Board, the governor-appointed body that oversees the licensing requirements for state child welfare agencies. For the last five… more

washingtonpost.com: Welcome to Live Online. Mary Bissell is here to take your questions on the reality of adoption.

15th and K, NW: Ms. Bissell, Media coverage of child welfare issues seems to focus heavily on tragedies in the system--and now 20/20 is airing an exploitative, game show-inspired piece on adoption. How can the media play a proactive, positive role in improving child welfare in this country? Thank you for your thoughftul article and your important work on this issue.

Mary Bissell:… more