Parenting After Adoption

Next in our back-to-school series is the issue of homework. Some kids are just natural born homework lovers. They’ll sit down right after school, get it done and do it with a giddy smile from the pleasure of it all. I have one of those.

Most kids will do their homework if they have to, need some parental supervision and will smile if the work comes easy to them and whine if it doesn’t. I have one of those. Most people reading this probably do as well.

Some kids will kick, scream, dig in heels and make a general nuisance of themselves in an effort to avoid homework at all costs. I used to have one of those full-time, but now he only behaves this way when we trigger a stressor. This may be true of children who have a traumatic past and older children adopted from another culture or country because of the stressful memories of previous trauma and/or the homework is extremely difficult. (more…)

The winner of the drawing is Kailani!

Many thanks to all who participated in the contest.

I hope you will continue to post comments. I thrive on our feedback, support and discussion!

Copyright © 2007 Becky Wilson. All Rights Reserved.

Updated 12:12 a.m. PDT August 30th - Contest has officially ended.

Just six hours left (PDT) until the contest ends. If you haven’t posted any comments yet, there are some great topics brought up in my posts as well as reader comments. As always, feel free to comment with topic suggestions or questions. If you shared your family’s story or situation, come on back and update us.

The winner will be posted around noon tomorrow.

Copyright © 2007 Becky Wilson. All Rights Reserved.

It’s time for another Tuesday Top 5! I simply could not narrow my favorites down to only five book choices. There are so many wonderful, worthwhile, informative books on the market for the adoptive parent demographic. Likewise, there are so many unique situations in adoptive families. If I choose only five books over a broad range of situations, I would have to leave out other important books. Yes, I have that many favorites!
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August is almost over and so are the contests this month! Don’t forget to participate.

Signing Time! giveaway at My Two Boys, the personal blog of Marcie, who is the blogger for Discussing Autism @ 451Press. Marcie has an exclusive 5-week giveaway happening on her blog so go check it out! A new prize is given out each week.

The 451Pres commenting contest. Comment on any network blog and you’ll be entered to win. The contest ends on Friday, August 31st.

I want to hear from YOU! All qualifying comments — basically just be on-topic and more than a “Me, too!” comment — will be entered in a raffle for a $25 gift certificate at Amazon. All comments offer suggestions for topics are also eligible. I am keeping a list of your suggetions and will work through each week. The contest ends on Wednesday, August 29th.

Copyright © 2007 Becky Wilson. All Rights Reserved.

No matter the age of your child when he was adopted, at some point you probably have experienced separation anxiety, yours and your child’s. It is a part of normal development for a child to experience anxiety about time away from parents, just as it is part of normal transitions in parenting for parents to feel anxiety about being apart from their child. This is played out every year as children go off to daycare when mom and dad both have to work, for little Suzy and her parents on the first day of preschool, and even for parents leaving their child at Kindergarten on the first day of school. Separation is inevitable. Anxiety about it is normal.

What about when the anxiety is not a part of normal development or usual life transitions? (more…)

Today my six-year-old son received a letter from his 2nd grade teacher. He will have the same teacher my oldest daughter had last year so we were expecting her letter. Each year the teacher mails a letter to each of her students to introduce herself and asks the children to have an adult at home write a letter to her about the student. She even encourages the child to write one if he desires.

Most, if not all, teachers will appreciate a letter from parents. She can read it at her leisure. It’s a written, tangible record of your contact with her. You can provide her with all of your contact information. Most importantly, you can explain information about your adopted child in a semi-private manner. Here are some suggestions you may find helpful: (more…)

Each one of my four children has required that my husband and I advocate for them for everything from English as a second language to language and social skills to high-ability/gifted education. Though the circumstances, reasons and the child in need differ greatly, one thing remains the same: my husband and I are the only true advocates our children have. (more…)

Okay, I’m a day late, but I was thinking of this all day on Tuesday. Does that count? I have been watching my stats and decided to share the top five posts so far this month. Some were written by me, and some by the previous blogger, Marci.

1. Comment Response

2. I Want to Hear From You

3. About My Family

4. Book Review: Beyond Consequences, Logic and Control

5. Signing Helps Language Development

© Copyright 2007 Rebecca Wilson. All Rights Reserved.
Used with permission.

Saturday evening one of our neighbors came over and asked if we wouldn’t mind feeding a stray kitten that showed up in their flowerbed that morning. They were leaving for a few days and didn’t want the little guy to go unattended. That night the rainfall was a torrential downpour. I was awake around 1:30 a.m. (as I am tonight) and wondered if I should go over to their driveway and try to capture him from under their car. My fear of stray dogs on our dark, dead-end road won out and I didn’t go.

The next morning he was wet, cold and shivering from both fear and a long, lonely night in the rain. We thought he might be feral because of the spunk and fight he gave us while trying to capture him. His “fight or flight” was a poignant reminder of L’s first days and weeks at home with us. (more…)

I was notified that the first hurricane of the season, Hurricane Dean, is reaching Category 5, the highest in the current hurricane rating system, and due to bump slam into southern Haiti tomorrow evening (Aug. 18) then plowing over the top of Jamaica on Sunday. This is the fourth of what will be a lifetime of fretting and worrying during hurricane seasons in the Caribbean. Not only do I still have two children in Haiti waiting to travel to join our family, but all three of my Haitian born children have family in the path of this weekend’s hurricane. We are deeply concerned and praying for their well-being and safety.

Photo credit: Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook

UPDATE 8/21/20007: Compared to several hurricanes in the past couple of years, this hurricane resulted in relatively few deaths and damage, but in my mind, any death and any damage is a lot. Please keep these families (in all affected countries) in your thoughts as they rebuild and move on. Hopefully this is the worst they’ll see this hurricane season.

© Copyright 2007 Rebecca Wilson.  All Rights Reserved.
Used with permission.

A bit late getting published today. It has been one of those hectic, stressful days where one wonders if going back to to bed might be the best course of action. So this will be a short post. Any of you breathing a sigh of relief? I know, I can be a bit long winded. Believe me, I do try to shorten my posts before I publish them. You should see them before I start hacking away at the rough draft!

Okay, on with the program…

There are many aspects of the school experience that depend on the age of your child when she* was adopted, the circumstances of her adoption, and how the adoption experience affects her at any given time. (more…)

Not long after L joined our family, Sundays became a miserable experience for everyone. As we were getting ready for church, L’s mood soured and his behavior took a nose dive, which almost always included telling blatant lies. I kept commenting in private to my husband that it sure seemed as if L was trying to avoid going to church. Yet when we asked L if he liked church, he always said yes. We were so confused!

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A fellow adoptive mom, Marcie, has an exclusive offer to run a promotional contest for Signing Time! products. I saw this as a fabulous opportunity for sharing what Signing Time! has done for my family. Regardless of how your child entered your life, the age s/he was upon arrival or your child’s first language, signing is highly beneficial for language development. Here is my family’s story… (more…)

What’s the contest?

I want to hear from YOU so I’m creating a two-week commenting contest. All on-topic, relevant comments count! So talk back to me.

What is the prize?

A $25 e-Gift Certificate at Amazon (more…)