A reader posted a very good and very perplexing question yesterday. She is a therapist, working with a young teen girl whose brother is struggling with Reactive Attachment Disorder. The therapist asks,

“How can I help her deal with the anger, confusion and fear?”

I can’t tell you how much I wish there was a clear, concise, effective answer to this question. However, I know of no magic bullet for this. I have had... more

Today I would like to continue with my discussion about Listening to Parents, the report and website designed to address the disconnect between parents wanting to adopt children in foster care and the agencies responsible for finding families for those children. Nancy Deren, one of my blog readers, commented on the report. Her experience... more

It has been an insane day thus far. Dora awoke in a foul mood (come to think about it, she went to bed that way, too!); Beth is exhausted from a really tough swim practice last night, and therefore quite grumpy; Best Buy canceled my umpteenth repair on my washing machine and rescheduled for Friday (the washer is now working, but the “new” drain pump they installed vibrates something fierce, so they are going to replace it again—and this makes me grumpy!); and lastly I spent time on the phone this morning with a majorly stressed out mom.

The tearful mom is a local gal,... more

One reader’s poignant response to yesterday’s blog about “Golden Nuggets” was:

Without hope, what do we have?

Hope really is the crux of it all, isn’t it? What do we have without hope? If we give up hope that our lives and the behavior and lives of our children will improve, how are we to survive?

... more

Continuing with my thoughts about a Reader’s Digest article on happiness, a sidebar in the article was a list of “Ten Ways to Turn That Frown Upside Down.” There were some great ideas here, and I felt they were worth sharing.

1. “Be less virtual, more 3-D.” This suggestion encourages us to seek out healthy relationships rather than sitting at a desk or computer all day, or hunkering down doing nothing at home. Of course, this is far more complicated... more

I have mentioned before that I am a fan of Reader’s Digest. I like to be able to read short bytes and not get committed to a book. The February 2008 issue arrived about a week ago. It has a wonderful article that is very helpful in addressing how we might survive life in a war zone. The article is called, The Way to Happiness; Proven tips to help you get where you want to be.

The introductory paragraph in this article states: “… happy people thrive. They’re more creative and productive, earn more money, attract more... more

Last week I discussed PTSD, and several readers commented about living with chronic PTSD. How does one rise above the fray? How can we focus on the bigger picture, find joy in the moment, and reframe our lives so that our entire family is not centered around our disruptive kids? The latter can be very difficult to do when, in fact, our entire family is centered around our disruptive kids …

I really wasn’t sure what sterling advice I had to offer. I survived my long period of struggle with Amy one day at a time. There were many, many days where... more

This is it … the last entry of the year. Hard to believe I have been blogging on adoption.com for two years now! I must say, it did feel good to slow down a bit this month. After I write this blog, I’m going to walk my dogs, feed them, and then settle in to do some sewing this afternoon. Benny Boy starts his thyroid meds today … I’m most anxious to see what happens.

I guess it is only fitting that I end this year’s entries by addressing Lindy’s poignant comments... more

We are iced in here today, and Dora is home from school. Of course, Beth is already "at school" (here at home!), so the weather doesn’t impact us one bit. After Beth completes some schoolwork and Dora does homework and chores, we’re going to bake some Christmas cookies.

I recently received an email from yet another struggling family that includes a very young child who is having significant difficulties. This family is so burned out and their external resources are slim and none. Even the support they have been getting from extended family is waning as everyone grows... more

As I write this post, Beth is sitting at the adjacent computer and beginning her Language Arts instruction for the day. This is her first day home, officially homeschooling. She slept a little later, didn’t worry about what clothes she wore, sauntered out to do horse chores, and is now ready to start working. The curriculum is fabulous … I have spent several days this week starting to familiarize myself with what she (and I) will be learning. Perhaps Word will no longer have to point out my split infinitives if I relearn grammar rules with Beth!

Everyone... more