Wendy Kramer

Donor families are unique, yet are also becoming substantially more common with the exponential advancements being made in the field of reproductive medicine, and with the wider acceptance of LGBTQ+ and single-parent families utilizing donor gametes in recent decades. The accessibility of commercial DNA testing is also helping to expand these families, as many people are finding out by surprise that they are part of a sometimes quite large donor family. Individuals connected to donor families are therefore much more likely to be seen across a variety of mental health and medical settings for a range of presenting problems, either related to or separate from this part of their background. For these individuals the challenges of forming and redefining family as they explore their own or their child's new biological connections are therefore very likely to surface as a topic of discussion in treatment. Given the greatly increased probability of encountering a client connected to a donor family in their practices across settings, and the specific challenges this presents, clinicians must be well-informed about all perspectives in order to address such issues in a knowledgeable and sensitive manner. Counseling Donor Family Members provides clinicians and mental health professionals with guidance on the unique issues that can present for egg and sperm donors, parents of donor-conceived children, and donor-conceived people. Counseling Donor Family Members is both a resource for mental health and medical professionals in any setting, and a useful reference book for researchers, and donor family members themselves. It presents evolving ideas, recommendations, and talking points, that can be used in counseling everyone in the donor family. Understanding all viewpoints is important for a successful counseling experience with any parent, egg and sperm donor, or donor-conceived person.

The conquest of Guatemala was brutal, prolonged and complex, fraught with intrigue and deception, and not at all clear-cut. Yet views persist of it as an armed confrontation whose stakes were evident and whose outcomes were decisive, especially in favor of the Spaniards. A critical reappraisal is long overdue, one that calls for us to reconsider events and circumstances in the light of not only new evidence but also keener awareness of indigenous roles in the drama. While acknowledging the prominent role played by Pedro de Alvarado (1485–1541), Strike Fear in the Land reexamines the conquest to give us a greater appreciation of indigenous involvement in it, and sustained opposition to it. Authors W. George Lovell, Christopher H. Lutz, and Wendy Kramer develop a fresh perspective on Alvarado as well as the alliances forged with native groups that facilitated Spanish objectives. The book reveals, for instance, that during the years most crucial to the conquest, Alvarado was absent from Guatemala more often than he was present; he relied on his brother, Jorge de Alvarado, to act in his stead. A pact with the Kaqchikel Maya was also not nearly as solid or long-lived as previously thought, as Alvarado’s erstwhile allies soon turned against the Spaniards, fomenting a prolonged rebellion. Even the story of the K’iche’ leader TecÚn UmÁn, hailed in Guatemala as a national hero who fronted native resistance, undergoes significant revision. Strike Fear in the Land is an arresting saga of personalities and controversies, conveying as never before the turmoil of this pivotal period in Mesoamerican history.

The conquest of Guatemala was brutal, prolonged and complex, fraught with intrigue and deception, and not at all clear-cut. Yet views persist of it as an armed confrontation whose stakes were evident and whose outcomes were decisive, especially in favor of the Spaniards. A critical reappraisal is long overdue, one that calls for us to reconsider events and circumstances in the light of not only new evidence but also keener awareness of indigenous roles in the drama. While acknowledging the prominent role played by Pedro de Alvarado (1485-1541), Strike Fear in the Land reexamines the conquest to give us a greater appreciation of indigenous involvement in it, and sustained opposition to it. Authors W. George Lovell, Christopher H. Lutz, and Wendy Kramer develop a fresh perspective on Alvarado as well as the alliances forged with native groups that facilitated Spanish objectives. The book reveals, for instance, that during the years most crucial to the conquest, Alvarado was absent from Guatemala more often than he was present; he relied on his brother, Jorge de Alvarado, to act in his stead. A pact with the Kaqchikel Maya was also not nearly as solid or long-lived as previously thought, as Alvarado's erstwhile allies soon turned against the Spaniards, fomenting a prolonged rebellion. Even the story of the K'iche' leader Tecún Umán, hailed in Guatemala as a national hero who fronted native resistance, undergoes significant revision. Strike Fear in the Land is an arresting saga of personalities and controversies, conveying as never before the turmoil of this pivotal period in Mesoamerican history.

C mo le dices a tu hijo que fue concebido con la ayuda de un donante?, y luego, c mo acompa ar la curiosidad sobre sus medio hermanos y / o hermanas y sobre su donante? Tu Familia: La historia de un chico nacido por donante, es un libro ilustrado dulce y alegre que responde a la pregunta " de d nde vengo?" y luego introduce amablemente los conceptos de medio hermanos y los donantes de una manera abierta y honesta. El libro comienza con el deseo de los padres de tener un beb , la necesidad de recurrir a un donante, y luego aborda el tema de los medios hermanos y los padres biol gicos / donantes. Un libro perfecto para los millones de ni os concebidos por donantes, para comprender c mo fueron concebidos y para ayudarlos a entender que tener curiosidad sobre sus or genes gen ticos y familiares desconocidos es natural. As como hay muchos tipos de familias, tambi n hay muchas maneras de definir la familia de un ni o y las relaciones con su donante y medio hermanos o parientes por donaci n. Leer este libro con su hijo concebido por un donante puede iniciar o complementar un di logo importante y continuo sobre estas conexiones gen ticas. Estas primeras conversaciones son parte integral de la formaci n de una familia feliz y saludable, fundada en la honestidad y la confianza.

How do you tell your child that they were conceived with the help of a donor, and then address curiosity about half siblings and/or the donor? Wendy Kramer, Co-Founder and Director of the Donor Sibling Registry, makes it easy and fun A first-of-its-kind book for kids involving half sibling and donor references. Your Family: A Donor Kid's Story is illuminated in fun, easy-to-understand graphics and factual reproductive descriptions. Inclusive of all family types. The book starts with the parent's desire to have a baby, the use of a donor, and then broaches the topic of half siblings and biological parents/donors. A perfect book for (the millions of) donor-conceived children to learn about how they were conceived and for understanding that being curious about their unknown genetic origins and relatives is natural. These early conversations are integral to creating a happy and healthy donor child and family. Pages are included at the end of the book for the child to paste images or draw relatives, with interactive text and colorful anecdotes.

The first comprehensive book that offers invaluable step-by-step advice for families with donor-conceived children. Wendy Kramer, founder and director of the Donor Sibling Registry, and Naomi Cahn, family and reproductive law professor, have compiled a comprehensive and thorough guide for the growing community of families with donor-conceived children. Kramer and Cahn believe that all donor-conceived children's desire to know their genetic family must be honored, and in Finding Our Families, they offer advice on how to foster healthy relationships within immediate families and their larger donor family networks based on openness and acceptance. With honesty and compassion, the authors offer thoughtful strategies and inspirational stories to help parents answer their own, and their children's, questions and concerns that will surely arise, including: How to support your children's curiosity and desire to know about their ancestry and genetic and medical background. How to help children integrate their birth story into a healthy self-image. How to help your children search for their donor or half siblings if and when they express interest in doing so. Finding Our Families opens up the lives of donor-conceived people who may be coping with uncertainty, thriving despite it, and finding novel ways to connect in this uncharted territory as they navigate the challenges and rewards of the world of donor conception.