Family Books: Part of the State Home Study and Attachment Parenting.

by Anna Glendenning | More from this Blogger

18 Jan 2006 01:28 PM

Many caseworkers and other experts feel there are some things where pictures are more important than a thousand words.

Family Books are a little bit like the letters and other things shown to a potential birth mother who might be considering placing her baby. The difference is that a Family Book may be used by the state as part of your home study and should be made to be given to the child before the transition starts.

Families who are interested in adopting a child from the state foster care system may be asked to create a Family Book. If you are not asked it would only be a positive addition to your attachment with a future child. These books are what we make for them and they are the first thing our child may see about us and their future home.

This is the time to be very simple but complete. This is where you show pictures of you and the other members of the family who live in the house. Do not include people who do not live in the home for this book. This is about your family, your home and the things your family likes to do.

This is the time when it pays to be creative and go a little overboard when putting things together. Some families take well known children's stories and rewrite them to be specific about their families.

Our Family Book was based on, "This is the House That Jack Built." We changed the title of the story and wrote, "This is The House Where Your Forever Family Lives." One line of the rhyme at a time, a new part of their home and their family was told. We had large pictures and spent too much money on scrapbook materials but it was worth it.

If you are considering adopting any child who can sit up and look at a picture book then making a Family Book is a great idea.

Your child will see something they will soon live and when they see in real life what they saw in the pictures if will feel just a little safer.

If you want to find some great ideas about scrap booking be sure to check out The Scrap booking Blog or Visit The Scrap Book Forum Here

photo credits: (no use restrictions)

Special Needs and Adoption-Related Terms: A | B | C | D | E-F | G-H-I | J-K-L | M | N-O | P | Q-R | S | T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

For more information about parenting special needs children you might want to visit the Families.com Special Needs Blog and the Mental Health Blog. Or visit my personal website.

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