Sometimes the life we dreamed of having when we first started out on the parenting journey doesn’t turn out the way we envisioned it. In the midst of this, there’s an opportunity to discover a different beautiful.
It took us a while to get there, but after years of parenting children from traumatic places, we finally had our eyes opened up. It became a game-changer for us, and our parenting.
Chances are, you already know this. So do we. But for some reason, we continue to resort to shaming, thinking we’ll see different results. We won’t. More importantly, we’re causing deeper damage when we do so.
It’s a question we face every year between Thanksgiving and Christmas: How can we navigate the sensory overload of this season with our children? We’ve discovered a few keys…
The likelihood of parenting a child who suffers from attachment issues, in foster care and adoption, is high. What does this look like, and how do you build healthy attachment with your child? It’s easy to take it personally. In fact, if you’re currently on this road with your child you know exactly what this looks like, and how it feels. You’ve probably had moments where you’ve felt like a complete failure as a parent. We know precisely how that feels. The truth is, however, you’re not a failure and this isn’t your fault. Your child suffers from trauma deeply imbedded within
Yawning, yawning, and more yawning. If that describes you, we want you to know- You’re not alone! There’s a way to find rest and it’s not as difficult as you think it is.
On the journey of adoption, foster care and special needs parenting, we’ve experienced numerous difficult and heartbreaking moments. The only way we we’ve made it through these trying times was through the support and love we received from our support community.
When we first started down the foster and adoptive road, we were energized and excited. But exhaustion quickly kicked in and left us defeated. We soon wondered: Will we ever find our way back to a place of rest?
As parents of children with special needs, particularly Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, we often receive the question, “How do you know if your child’s behavior is a choice, or if it’s their disorder?”
The glares, stares, and judgmental glances. We’ve seen it all in our 15 years on the adoptive and foster care journey. Particularly as we’ve worked hard to parent children with major special needs. While we owe no one an explanation, we have some solid reasons for parenting our children the way we do.
