Search Results for: blog more ways to help foster children

Simple Ways to Preserve Easter Memories

Pretty Easter dresses, bonnets, bunnies and flowers. These are just some of the many holiday images you likely gathered today. Now that Easter is just about over, the next step is to start figuring out how to display all the memories you captured. For starters, review all of the Easter-related photos you snapped. Then, ask yourself if you have enough to create a comprehensive layout. If not, you might consider adding a few spring-themed images, such as daffodils, Easter baskets, baby birds, a cross or some fluffy chicks. These generic spring subjects can help supplement traditional Easter shots taken of … Continue reading →

Teach Children To Give

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When I was a little girl and my parents gave me an allowance I was required to tithe ten percent to church. I dutifully put a dime in the tithe envelope and deposited the envelope in the offering plate in children’s church. We advocate for children now by fostering. Jessie is learning to care for others less fortunate by sharing her home, parents, and possessions with them. When she has a better understanding of money, then we will start to instill in her more of a stewardship to help others. There are opportunities all around us to help others. Start … Continue reading →

Visiting and Helping an Animal Shelter

We love animals. My daughter would like a dog, but I think that we are full at the moment. With fish, two pet rats, and four – ack! – cats, the ark is definitely not taking any more animals at the moment. She would also like to be a vet (and a sushi chef, and a doctor, and a …). She likes to pretend that she is rescuing animals. If you have a child who also loves animals, visiting or helping an animal shelter or rescue center is one way to encourage their interest. If you can visit the shelter … Continue reading →

Sibling Rivalry Involving Children with Special Needs

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Life can be difficult for children with special needs, but it can also be tough on their siblings as well. They face the challenges of watching their sibling get more attention from their parents, struggle and suffer, while dealing with the stares and comments of strangers and kids in school. They can battle feelings of fear, embarrassment, loneliness, and guilt. Luckily, there are ways to help them. Listen and be honest. Be a good listener when it comes to your children. Talk to them about their feelings and don’t keep them in the dark when it comes to their sibling’s … Continue reading →

Book Review: Maybe Days: A Book for Kids in Foster Care

My last blog mentioned some books written to help foster care kids understand and come to terms with their experiences. I wanted to write a full review of another book, Maybe Days: a Book for Children in Foster Care. This book, labeled for ages 4-10 years, seems to me to be for somewhat older kids than The Star or Zachary’s New Home (books discussed in the last blog). It is written by Jennifer Wilgocki, M.S., a child and family therapist who presents training on attachment and bonding issues to professionals and foster parents. Dr. Marcia Wright is a clinical psychologist. … Continue reading →

Helping the Children of Haiti

As happened after the 2008 earthquake in China, adoption agencies have had numerous phone calls from people offering to adopt earthquake orphans. As I mentioned in my earlier blogs, children orphaned in a natural disaster or war are usually not free for adoption for a period of anywhere from six months to a year. The infrastructure must be repaired enough to ensure that family members have had the opportunity to locate children. So what can be done to help the children? First of all, remember that there are many children, in our own country and abroad, who are eligible for … Continue reading →

Are There Ways You Can Foster MORE Independence?

I would probably argue that the children of single parents have a tendency to be pretty high on the independence scale. Just the fact that there is only one adult to tend to things can force a child to learn how to either do some things on her own, or learn to help out a bit. But, even so, there may be times when we need our children to step up more—we need them to help out a little, or at least become more independent in managing their own “stuff.” What can we do as a single parent to try … Continue reading →

Fostering Appreciation in the Single Parent Family

It can be easy in a single parent family to see all the things that are “not right” or all the ways that things could and should be better. What can be more challenging, however, is to gather one’s thankfulness and resources and develop a sense of appreciation for all the joys and wonders of the world when one is often struggling just to make ends meet. So, what do I even mean when I start writing about “appreciation”? Back in November I wrote a little about my own “appreciation” around Thanksgiving, but this morning I am thinking of how … Continue reading →

Month in Review: Adoption Blog, December 2007

I began the month with a book review that tied in to my November series on coping with discrimination and racism. The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate is based on an inspiring true story of how a town in Montana came together when Jewish and African-American families were terrorized. Then I ran Part One and Part Two Part Two of Is It Okay to Be Choosy? regarding the comments adopting parents often get that if they “really wanted to help”, they’d choose the most needy child or the one with the most special needs–and sometimes we lay this … Continue reading →

More Ways to Help Foster Children

In a recent blog,I wrote about helping foster kids prepare for life after they turn 18, when they will likely lose their outside support systems—both financial and emotional. In the next blog I wrote about how you might help by tutoring, mentoring, serving as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteer, becoming a foster parent or adopting an older child. This blog will discuss a few more ways to help foster children. First, there’s my fellow blogger Kori’s great idea on donating your kids’ old things to the foster care system. This seems to me to be an especially good idea … Continue reading →