Perseverance & Endurance – Qualities of a Champion Runner … and His Adoptive Dad
by: Julie Beem If you read one story about adoption today – this is the one. Your social media feed may be full of news about attachment & trauma, Fetal Alcohol, and PTSD, but don’t miss this article. I can tell you now this article’s not going to be what you expect. But then again, […]
Proactively Give Yourself a Mother’s Day…Even if it’s Not This Sunday
by: Julie Beem It’s coming. There are ads, ads and more ads for flowers, clothing, chocolate…and Hallmark. Any preschool worth its weight is making handprint art and churches are planning luncheons and other celebrations. Ugh…it’s Mother’s Day! What a train wreck this holiday can be for families of traumatized children, especially those who were formed […]
FASD/Pre-natal Substance Exposure
Tips for Adopting or Fostering Children Prenatally Exposed to Alcohol or Other Drugs 1. Work with informed professionals in quality adoption agencies. 2. Explore your feelings about alcohol and drug abuse, particularly among pregnant women. 3. Discuss the child’s background with your social worker so that you have a realistic picture of the birth parents’ […]
The Delayed Effect: When the Fruits of Our Labor Finally Bloom
by: Craig Peterson Six months ago I sat down to write a letter to my 23-year-old son who was incarcerated three hours away. After re-reading the entire stack of his letters, I realized he’d done much soul searching. He had shared many deeply personal thoughts about his past failures. Was I now man enough to […]
“Don’t You DARE Say That”
By: Deborah A. Novo I love my dog. She is an 11 year old, white Schnauzer who exudes such love. My husband and I had just returned from our usual, evening walk with Sadie. We were standing in the kitchen, laughing and drinking iced tea when a storm came upon us. “Why don’t you pick […]
Tuesday Toolbox — The Landing Pad
by: Jane Samuel Our youngest, now age 12, like many children of trauma, wants to have all her ducks in a row and know what is coming next. She hates getting caught off guard – “I forgot that we had P.E. today and I didn’t have my shoes!!” So schedules and planning work very well […]
Lessons Learned: New Trauma on Top of Old
by: Craig Peterson “Stop saying you understand. You don’t. You have no idea how I feel.” My daughter’s words stopped me in my tracks. Had I assumed too much? Had I overreached and appeared insensitive? Did I re-traumatize her in the process? Probably shades of all three. You see, my daughter is black. I’m white. […]
Adoptive Parents ARE Biological Parents
— By Julie Beem I had the incredible honor to interview Dr. Dan Siegel a couple of days ago in a webinar that will soon be released on ATN’s Learning Center. We did this in conjunction with Echo Parenting and Education from California. If you have not had the privilege to hear Dr. Siegel speak […]
Silly Ignorant Me: What I Thought My Child Heard
by: Craig Peterson When my mother and father spoke, I responded. So did my five siblings. That’s all we knew. I never gave the dynamic much thought until raising children of my own. You see, all six are adopted. Unfortunately, none responded to me like I did with my parents. Not even close. Didn’t my […]
What is Strange?
by: Kelly Killian You’re going to find this strange, but my husband and I like watching crime shows. We like learning about the psychological aspects of what makes criminals tick. It was during one of these shows that we had an “AH HA” moment about our kids. In the show, Criminal Minds, Agent Hotchner (played […]