April 20, 2018

Adoption and Parenting Reads of the Week

Happy Friday!

Is it? We hope so.

We have our favorite reads of the week for you today, pieces about encouraging your child to befriend the kid who’s different, the commonness of resenting your kids, noteworthy adoption books in a multitude of subjects, questions about whether or not we can keep our black children safe, and so much more.

Read, share, enjoy! And have a wonderful weekend.

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Why you should encourage your child to befriend the kid who’s different. “The most pain I have ever experienced in is the pain of watching my child be rejected or teased over and over again. And life gets lonely for the parent of a child with significant needs. It can often be hard, exhausting, and frustrating. Depression is usually around the corner, waiting to swallow that parent in darkness. We can be a flicker of light in their midst. Seeing people, especially other children, enjoy our child is life-giving.”

So how common is it to resent your kids? “Direnfeld says that there is an expectation of parents — particularly mothers — to know everything and that everything must be instinctive, and that if they don’t have the instincts then there’s something inherently wrong with them.”

32 noteworthy adoption books published in 2017.

An interesting thing to consider: what about stepparent adoption?

A beautiful story about why this woman chose adoption for her baby. “Kelly’s perception of adoption wasn’t unique. As Americans, we’ve come to view families who adopt in a positive, altruistic light. Meanwhile, we view birth mothers who “give up” their children to another family negatively—that is, if we think about them at all.”

An invitation to look beyond your child’s trauma.

8 things you might not know about adopting an older child.

Can we keep our black children safe? “…[I] don’t worry: Will my daughter get into her dream college?  Will my son end up lonely and single?  No, my fears are more along the lines of: Will my smart, creative boy survive until adulthood?  Will his difficult start in life predispose him to panic and run if questioned by a police officer?  Will he get a handle on his impulsiveness before he faces life-altering consequences?”

“He asked if my life was harder with him as my son.”

Best books on fetal alcohol syndrome for adoptive parents.