Wednesday, September 04, 2024

I love to travel. But with skyrocketing prices I generally go for the cheap airlines. That's how I ended up on a midde-of-the-night flight next to a 5 year old who wet his pants in his sleep. What happened next broke my heart.

Tuesday, December 20, 2022

Tantrums are a big aspect of adopting children who have attachment issues and/or a trauma background. This story of how I avoided a huge tantrum I saw building in Dakota one day at Walmart might help you to avoid the next tantrum in your house!

Sunday, November 27, 2022

When we adopt children who have a trauma history we have high hopes. We think that it may only be a few months before they acclimate to the family and start to be more calm. We hope that love and Jesus and therapists and even our own will for them to be better may just do the trick. But, as time progresses and behaviors become more aggressive, not less, or, as their stages of life progress and hormones do a number on them, we start to feel afraid.

Friday, October 07, 2022

We often think the work to be done is in discipline, boundaries, schedules or rigid expectations when it comes to helping a newly adopted child move forward. And while there is value in schedules and knowing what to expect, the one thing that changes the game when it comes to healing in a child who has been hurt, is having a parent who is aware of their own emotions and knows how to get and stay regulated themselves--even when all the buttons are being pushed.

Thursday, September 29, 2022

I discovered two kids that were super cute but according to the system, destined to fail. In the interview to adopt them, we were warned that they would likely be institutionalized by the time they were 13. This is how we met them and why we said yes.