November 20, 2015

Adoption News Roundup

Here’s a look at the articles that caught our eye this week!

“Stressed, tired, rushed: a portrait of the modern family.” “That tension is affecting American family life, Pew found. Fifty-six percent of all working parents say the balancing act is difficult, and those who do are more likely to say that parenting is tiring and stressful, and less likely to find it always enjoyable and rewarding. For example, half of those who said the work-family balance was not difficult said parenting was enjoyable all the time, compared with 36 percent of those who said balance was difficult.”

An unbelievable story of compassion, heartache, love, loss, and immeasurable gain. This adoptive family shares what it was like for them to foster-to-adopt two daughters, and the emotional roller coaster they endured as they tried to support both the children and the birth parents, who were sadly struggling with drug addiction.

“I’m adopted and this is the one thing I would people would stop saying.”

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy are child care jobs among the lowest-paying in the nation??? Shouldn’t they be the HIGHEST?! What are we valuing as a society, if not those who care for our children?

Kristen Howerton addresses a very apt point: if you always thought you wanted to adopt, why not go for that first? “At the end of the day, I think the advantage of adopting first means that an adopted child’s needs are better prioritized within the family. They aren’t an afterthought. They are the first option, and that communicates a lot about their place in the family.”

This family didn’t plan to adopt from foster care. After saying they didn’t want to adopt while going through the foster care process, their social worker made them get their adoption certification. “Never say never,” she said. Never say never, indeed!

This adoptee shares her story of being tracked down by her birth mother, even though she never had any intention of trying to find her.

Is your toddler totally obsessed with something? So much so that it’s causing tension or triggering some sort of anxiety? Here are some great tips for both coping and helping them through this stage.