October 13, 2017

Adoption and Parenting Reads of the Week

Happy Friday!

Is it a happy Friday for you? We hope so.

We’re ready for the weekend, and so happy to be nicely into fall. Here are some reads that caught our eye this week that hopefully warm, provoke, inspire, and generate a bit of thoughtfulness.

Big hugs, and see you Monday.

“Grieving for a child that never died.” Or, what it feels like to grieve a failed adoption. “Then 12 days later she was no longer ours and no legal system had ever given us the term ‘parents.’ We were merely her legal guardians. To the system, we were nothing more than babysitters, so when I go to tell people about the two children that I lost within a year, our adopted daughter and my biological daughter, I still don’t know exactly what the words should sound like at this point. I don’t know how to tell them that I lost two children but one lives.”

How do you best integrate an older adopted child into the family?

5 signs it’s time to take your adoption networking plan to the next level.

What this adoptive mama wishes she’d known about how early childhood trauma affects adopted children.

8 things never to say to a special needs parent. Note: “She/he looks normal to me” is not helpful.

The states of Oregon and Kentucky are facing off in a dispute over the adoption of a four year-old girl.

Some thoughts on effectively talking to your kids about depression. “If you’re unsure how to respond to a question, it’s OK to tell your child that you don’t know the answer but will get back to them, Schlesinger said. Children often ask questions because they want to make sure everyone is doing their best and that the family is OK.”