Parenting
The Adoptive Parent’s Guide to Telling the Truth
How much should an adoptive parent tell a child about their birth family? How should the conversation change as the child grows up? This blog explores developmentally appropriate ways to approach the truth and how to initiate conversations.
Read MoreParenting When It’s Hard to Like Your Child — Understanding Blocked Care in Adoptive Families
“Why is my child withdrawing? And why am I tempted to give up and disengage?” This blog explains self-protective instincts for both adopted children (blocked trust) and parents (blocked care), how a child’s response may be rooted in early trauma, and strategies for parenting with empathy.
Read MoreThrough Every Season — Parenting with Melodies
For adoptive parent and songwriter Lissa, memories, stories, and emotions get woven into melodies as she navigates parenting a child with a history of trauma. Learn how she uses songwriting for both communicating and healing.
Read MoreAdoption In the Media: The Unseen, Unrecognized Struggle of JuJu in “The Chair” TV Series
As an adult adoptee, Marta watched the Netflix series “The Chair” through the eyes of JuJu, the lead’s daughter. “My heart felt rage, grief and deep isolation. I see a child so completely alone in her trauma and loss that she has had to abandon her own narrative.
Read MoreShame and Adoption — A Guide to Parenting with Empathy
Shame is the feeling that we are inherently unlovable, unworthy, and undeserving of connection — and it’s a central theme in adoption. How do we parent without shaming our child? How do we teach values? Here are some empathy-based strategies and phrases to help children make positive choices.
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