why consequences & rewards don’t work for hurting children (adoption/foster)

You can listen to a recording of this post, just scroll down to the bottom of this page and don some earbuds. 🙂 “My child doesn’t respond to consequences, I can take away anything and he doesn’t care.” “Rewards mean nothing to my daughter, I can offer an ice cream at McDonald’s or a new…

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give negativity a noose (adoption/foster)

You can view the first post in this series: negativity is contagious You know who had a right to be negative, angry, opposing, and downright contrary? The Giving Tree. You know, the children’s book by Shel Silverstein? The Giving Tree is just that; giving. His owner, however, is selfish and takes everything he can from…

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be positive for the little people – part 2 (Autism)

Yesterday I wrote about being positive for the little people – part 1 (if you haven’t read it, go ahead, we’ll see you back here in a bit). Now for the second installment that I promised. I believe that families are like those bouncy-ball toys that light up. If one family member is lit up,…

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be positive for the little people – part 1 (Autism)

Some of you who parent a child who has Autism get it, you see the great potential they possess and the intelligence which lies within them. Some parents have difficulty seeing those positive attributes in their children. I fall somewhere in the middle, though I hope closer toward the former. I am making progress in…

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negativity is contagious (adoption/foster)

Ebooks have this nifty technology that enables a reader to highlight a section of text. If enough people highlight a passage, it will be underlined in every issue of that ebook sold. In some books I’ve read, hundreds of people have highlighted a section. I see it going like this: Reader sees underlined sentence. Reader…

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my wish for you in 2014

I’m not a fan of New Years resolutions. Probably because I’ve never made a serious one, and all I’ve really witnessed of those who make them is that they don’t follow through. I’ve been in the gym in January, and then again in May, and many of the fitness fanatics who began the year with…

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viewing my nonverbal child differently (special needs/Autism)

My son, Jeremiah, has something to say. Problem is, he can’t. He has nonverbal Autism. I’ve known he wants to communicate; what he wants to eat, what he doesn’t want to do, what movie he wants to watch. How do I know? Because he’s learned how to use body language (not sign language) to show…

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baby pics and family trees (adoption/foster)

Cute baby pictures and family trees: two conundrums out of many that can arise in school. What to do… A fellow adoptive parent received the request to submit a photo of her child for the eighth grade yearbook, and here’s her response, which she shared on the Forever-Families Facebook page: Dear Mr. Principal, Ah yes,…

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the importance of consistency & routine (adoption/foster)

I looked up “quotes on consistency” for this post. What I found was in direct contradiction to what I was looking for. Oscar Wilde says, “Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” Aldous Huxley said, “Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only complete consistent people are dead.” For the sake of…

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Santa’s big secret: to tell or not to tell (adoption/foster)

Our daughter’s been asking the question since she could talk, “How does Santa get in?” With no chimney protruding from our roof, our answer was, he’s magic. That response would appease most children. Not Payton. “Will he use the front door? Will you leave it unlocked?” Well, we didn’t want to cause worry, having her…

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