I am well into adulthood and frankly I still have trouble labeling how I’m feeling when things aren’t quite right. Anyone with me on this? I feel that if you haven’t been in psychotherapy on a weekly basis, you might have difficulty nailing what exactly it is that’s making you so gloomy. Our kids who came…
Read Moreemotional balance begins with us (feelings: part 1) – (adoption/foster)
Some of you see the title of this post and scoff, “Well, that’s never going to happen, I guess there’s no hope for me.” Others see it and say, “Of course, that’s why I’m so calm.” And yet others fall in the middle, and I am one of them, or I hope I am. I…
Read Moreadoption and stranger danger
How do we teach our kids about stranger danger without completely scaring them out of their mind? Or do we throw all caution to the wind and tell them the whole gory story about why we don’t want them talking to the guy down the street? Stranger danger, as we all know, is REAL, but…
Read Morestudy your child (adoption/foster)
Now that school has begun for your kids, it’s time to do your homework. No worries, it’s pretty simple, and it will pay great dividends in the end. So what’s the assignment? Study your child. Always be aware of your child and their reactions to the world around them. What situations make your child wary? What…
Read Moreit’s your fault mom (adoption/foster)
I apologize in advance to any fathers who are visiting today. This post is about mothers, but feel free to keep reading. It came out of nowhere, Payton hit me. She was one-year-old, and it was the first time she’d done anything like it. What caused her to lash out at me? I was about…
Read Morewhat happens when our hurting children can’t sleep (adoption/foster)
If you follow my blog, you have seen mention of sleep a couple times in the past month. Is this because sleep falls into my TOP 5 favorite things to do? Maybe. 😉 Well it’s really because sleep is important. As I’ve previously written about (you can find links at the bottom of this post),…
Read Morethe magic word (adoption/foster)
What’s the magic word? Well, truth be told, there isn’t one. Sure, “please” and “thank you” are magic words that might get you what you want, but when it comes to parents trying to convince their adopted children that they will never leave, there is no magic word. Parents try to tell their children, “I…
Read Moremake this school year exceptional (adoption/foster)
This article originally appeared in Adoption Today magazine. Make This School Year Exceptional by Tracy Dee Whitt The kids have enjoyed swinging, swimming pools, sidewalk chalk, and scrumptious mud pies, but now it’s time to think about school. Some kids are excited about the new year and some are wary and worried. My daughter, Payton,…
Read Morestaying calm in the midst of a storm
Panic. Powerless. Frightened. These are a few of the reactions we can have when a major storm hits. This summer we had a vacation from somewhere down under (you can read more about it here), and part of that getaway included a tornado warning after a week of complete chaos and stress. I had never…
Read Morewhat level are you on? (adoption/foster)
My heart breaks when I hear of children who’ve been abandoned by families because they did not fit the mold they were expected to fall into. Families are falling apart because of the stress that has culminated due to a child that has attachment issues. The entire family suffers, and so does the child who…
Read More
lovin' adoptin' & autism 