“Little souls find their way to you whether they’re from your womb or someone else’s”
– Sheryl Crow
“Adoption is a journey of faith, from beginning to end.”
– Johnny Carr
“Families don’t have to match. You don’t have to look like someone else to love them.”
– Leigh Anne Tuohy (adoptive mother portrayed in The Blind Side)
“If you have a heart for adoption, don’t let fear stand in the way”
– Doug Chapman
When kids have tricky questions, I turn to others for advice, whether that be my friends, family, or the internet. When I search for “how to tell your child about ______,” I am often referred to storybooks. How brilliant! Storybook authors have made their living out of entertaining and speaking to children, so I often turn to them to explain what I cannot.
Adoption is one of those topics that are tricky for kids to understand sometimes. Why am I adopted? What does that mean? Why don’t I look like my parents? Here are some suggestions for books that help explain adoption to kids.
As the new school year rolls around, your child will be meeting new teachers, classmates, and friends. For adoptive families, this is a great opportunity think about adoption and how to talk about it with other people.
While you won’t be by your child’s side during the school day, there are plenty of things you can do at home to encourage his or her positive understanding of adoption. By creating a strong foundation of honesty and openness about adoption, you will be able to help your child talk about adoption with people at school.
Here in Kansas City, we are officially 2-3 weeks away from the start of school. So, while the stores have stocked their aisles with every school supply imaginable, they’ve also made sure the shelves are full of water bottles and sporting gear for the fall sport season. And with the Olympics about to begin in Rio, kids are going to be begging their parents for gymnastics/swimming/water polo/field hockey lessons, and all the gear that goes with it. The excitement has already started at our house.
As the new school year approaches parents scramble to prepare their children for what’s ahead. From buying pencils and paper, to backpacks and lunch boxes, to the coolest new outfits, they do everything they can to ensure their children are ready for a great year.
For adoptive parents, there is one more thing you can do to ensure your children flourish in the classroom: raise adoption awareness.
Since 1958, July 30 has been the International Day of Friendship for countries around the world. What better time to send a nice gesture to the birth parents in your life?
“Friendship” may not be a powerful enough word to describe your relationship to your child’s birth parents. You share something unique, cherished, and irreplaceable – your child – and that is a bond to be celebrated at any occasion. This year, take a moment to learn a little bit more about International Day of Friendship and how you can add to the fun.
Just as biological mothers can experience postpartum blues or depression, so too can adoptive moms (and dads).
There are so many emotions involved in becoming a parent, and for those who become parents nearly overnight, there can be the added stress of doing everything at the last minute. Coupled with sleep deprivation and complicated feelings of guilt associated with birth parents, it’s no wonder so many adoptive parents experience post adoption depression.
The good news is that you are not alone. There are thousands of adoptive parents out there coping with the same feelings you are. And even better, there is help available.
Adoptive parents have two main options when it comes to feeding their baby: formula or breastfeeding. Both methods are nutritious for your baby, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so the decision really comes down to what works best for you.
To help you make a decision, we have compiled some formula information that you may not know. Be sure to check out our post on breastfeeding an adopted child, as well!
My husband and I just returned from a week in British Columbia, Canada. The daily temperature barely hit 70 degrees. I lived in jeans. Imagine our shock when we stepped off the plane and into a wall of 90% humidity, at 11:30pm! I had to confiscate my husband’s credit card, to keep him from booking a flight right back to Canada. But really, it’s summer in Kansas City…this is to be expected.
My parents watched our kids and did as many outdoor activities as the heat would allow – the zoo, Deanna Rose, the pool. But they did find themselves needing something to entertain the kids when it was too hot (or rainy) to be outside. Thankfully, new coloring books, board games, and science kits did the trick. If you are looking for ways to entertain your kids indoors (that doesn’t involve a screen of any kind), here are some ideas now that the dog days of summer are truly here.
When the temperatures climb above 90, and the kids have gone through every book they have, it’s time to hit the movie theaters (or Netflix). Each summer, the motion picture industry takes advantage of the captive audience of children on break from school. In addition to seeing the new movies in the theater, I find it fun to introduce my kids to classics movies from my childhood. My husband has been willing our son and daughter to grow up faster, so they could watch the “original” Star Wars trilogy. Both finally watched them over the past few months…and my husband hasn’t been happier. Here are my recommendations for summer movies, both new and old: