Search Results for: blog new years resolutions for adoptive parents

Already Tired of Resolutions? Give Yourself a Rest

You may think it’s a bit late for New Year’s resolutions, but I always give myself some slack the first two weeks of January. I want to enjoy the full 12 Days of Christmas, and then I want to get back into the work/school routine again so that I can really see where we want to make changes. I have made suggested resolutions for adoptive parents before, and made others just for myself before. Upcoming blogs will have my reflections on those resolutions, as well as information on events in 2008 that affect the world of adoption, such as the … Continue reading →

Suggested New Year’s Resolutions for Adoptive Parents

I’m not going to look at my last year’s New Year’s Resolutions blog before I write this one. I’m just going to go with what’s on my mind now. So what is on my mind now? Too much, that’s what. I want to have more meaningful family conversations at the dinner hour. I want to find a book that the whole family can enjoy reading by the fireside in the evenings—and keep reading age-appropriate books with each child individually too. I want to do all my physical therapy exercises and see if I can finally quit re-injuring myself. I want … Continue reading →

New Year’s Resolutions for Adoptive Parents

Hopefully we’ve all had some good family time over the holidays. As we plow through the back-to-school chaos and re-enter our normal lives, here are my ideas for New Year’s Resolutions. Some of them may seem contradictory, but “all good things in moderation”. Why not pencil in one at the start of each month’s calendar page and make sure it happens sometime that month? 1.Talk to your kids about adoption. This doesn’t have to be a sit-down “big talk”. Just make a little comment or reference here and there like, “I wonder if your musical talent came from your birthfather.” … Continue reading →

An Adoptive Mother’s New Years Resolutions 2006

1) To remember at all times “adoption” was an event that happened and not a label for my children. I do not introduce my biological children as my C-section babies and I will not introduce my little ones as my adopted children. 2) To take joy in the unique qualities and attributes my children have received from the biological family. And, to occasionally mention, to my children, in a positive way where those qualities and attributes must have come from. 3) To teach all of my children families are made many ways and how our family was put together has … Continue reading →

Books for Siblings Dealing With Special Issues in Adoption

My last blog shared books that prepare a child to welcome a new brother or sister by adoption. This blog share books addressing special situations that may arise during an adoption, such as an extended waiting period or the parents’ absence. There is even a book for children the birthmother is already raising, talking about their sibling being placed for adoption. Seeds of Love: a Story of International Adoption, prepares children to stay with a friend or relative while their parents travel to bring the sibling home. It’s the story of a little girl’s two weeks with her grandmother as … Continue reading →

Upcoming Issues in Adoption for 2008

There will be many developments in adoption in the coming year. Not only are countries’ adoption policies continually changing, but the face of international adoption itself may be changed by implementation of the Hague Convention on International Adoptions. (I once thought I’d write a blog about this treaty, but now realize it’s an immense topic that we’ll work our way through together as I share bits of my research.) States continue to search for ways to deal with the exploding foster care population. Some organizations and individuals are founding innovative programs to help teens in foster care. I’ll write about … Continue reading →

“A Time for Every Purpose…”

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I love being an adoptive parent. Sometimes I love to immerse myself in adoption–reading and talking about it, hanging out with other adoptive parents, going to workshops. But there have been other times when I love not thinking about adoption for a while, and simply luxuriating in the knowledge that these children are mine. I know I have to be careful about this. I’ve heard many adult adoptees speak about how disconnected they felt growing up when their families denied their differences. Even though they were told about their adoptions, they felt that talking about them was discouraged. I believe … Continue reading →

Can This Child Really Be Mine?

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First-time parents usually have some built-in times to celebrate parenthood with others: the announcement to their parents and friends, baby showers, making phone calls from the hospital, the homecoming with their baby in their arms, new mothers’ groups and parent-baby classes. They know unequivocally that the child is theirs–by the birth certificate, by their own bodies’ fatigue and scars, and by the reactions of everyone around them. For adoptive parents, the journey is different. The timeline may be sudden. There may be false starts to the adoption process—a birthmother changes her mind, a country changes its requirements. They may be … Continue reading →

Mental Health and Insurance: Advocating for Makala

It’s been a long four-years since this picture was taken and we brought Makala and Jeremiah home to be our children. It required nearly two-years before we met them to complete the application for adoption, training as special needs parents, and have our home study done by the state. We chose to adopt special needs siblings from our state foster care system. Our lives were stable and we had experience raising Sean and Tori who were on their way to college. We wanted and worked hard to get into a position of making a huge change in the lives of … Continue reading →