I have been sharing some of the advice that I garnered from an adoptive parenting course that I took over the weekend. The course is titled "Because They Waited" and it looks at the affects that children may have from starting their lives in less than optimal conditions, and it offers practical parenting advice to adoptive parents.

In my last few posts I wrote about the course in general and the first two modules, which were "Making the Connections" (on brain development) and the Cycle... more

Parenting Special Needs Children blog proudly announces the addition of a category: Resource Tuesday. In this category we will profile an organization (business or non-profit) that provides resources special needs children and their families, or adoptive and foster children and their families. We hope that this will provide an active resource list for parents seeking information, but also provide some ideas of how you can “give back” through volunteer and donor involvement with any of these organizations.

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What a cynic I’ve become, that when I meet someone with true compassion for LuLu that I’m taken totally by surprise. Especially when I meet that person in a place I didn’t expect…like wearing a doctor’s lab coat.

Yesterday I took LuLu to the pediatric gynecologist. I was both anticipating and dreading the appointment. Our pediatrician referred us to this woman because she has the background of treating girls with autism and Downs Syndrome and would likely understand our dilemma surrounding LuLu’s period and the impact it made on her trauma triggers and... more

I have been writing about an adoptive parenting education course that I took over the weekend titled "Because They Waited" by Heart of the Matters Seminars. The four-DVD course takes a detailed look into what affects are commonly seen in adopted children who started their lives in less than optimal circumstances (such as foster care, an orphanage or an abusive or neglectful birth home) and then gives parents practical, hands on advice and strategies that... more

There just isn’t that much information out there on this topic, but it is one that strikes terror in many parent’s heart. LuLu started her period last December. The first one was a momentous occasion that she handled better than I expected, given her trauma background.

After that, her hormonally challenged body decided to have cycles that occurred every 14-16 days. This was just TOO MUCH for poor LuLu, both physically and emotionally. So for the last 6+ months we have struggled... more

In my last post, I discussed independent adoptions. Now, let’s discuss agency adoptions. Once again, we will start off by defining “Agency Adoptions” from the Adoption Glossary.

Agency Adoptions: Adoption placements that are made by state licensed adoption agencies that screen prospective adoptive parents and supervise the placement of children in adoptive... more

There are interesting things afoot at one of our favorite charities, Half the Sky. They've gotten the go-ahead from the Chinese government to help improve over 300 children's welfare institutions across the country. The Blue Sky plan is starting with 31 model children's centers, starting with one that's already underway in Wuhan. They want one center in every province... more

I’ve been sharing some of the challenges involved with our rebellious 19 year old daughter. She left home quite angry the month she turned 18, so it has now been a year. In our daughter’s mind, we had become the bad guys. Because she moved out and was the youngest of the sibling group that we adopted, there hasn’t been an opportunity for us to see their birth family.

However, on Sunday, there was an opportunity for me to discuss “R’s” choices with her paternal grandparents. Our granddaughter turned two and her mother, who is... more

When I was beginning the adoption process, my #1 question was, “How long will it take for me become a parent?” I had already been trying to become a parent through fertility procedures for 3-1/2 years. I wanted to hear that I would be a parent tomorrow, but the adoption process does not move along that quickly.

Unfortunately, no adoption is going to be fast, and there is a wide variation in how long an adoption can take. After your home study is completed, you could be matched within days, or a match... more

Feeling Sorry For or Having Empathy

It is our responsibility to teach these foster children to be productive and responsible members of society. By constantly making excuses and feeling sorry for these children gives them to feeling that the world owes them something. Yes, as abused foster children they are entitled to a safe home, food, security, love, expectance, be a child and to have parents that put them first. While most of these children have endured... more