I have been struggling all morning to write this post. I started off the day quite early, preparing for a live segment on our local Fox News about our upcoming conference. For awhile this morning the videotape wasn't working correctly, resulting in a flurry of emails and phone calls about that. It appears to be working now.

After the TV spot, I rushed home to prepare for a scheduled radio... more

I talked to a mom this morning who has already signed up for ATN’s conference this August. I am really getting excited about this event, for many reasons. But probably the most significant reason is how energized everyone feels when they are actually in the physical proximity of other parents who are leading parallel lives. As long as I have been living this life, and as stress-free as my parenting existence is now, with no challenging kids... more

As I mentioned in my previous blog, last Friday night I enjoyed the company of a dozen other folks who live with and love kids with serious attachment issues. We met at a restaurant in Gurnee, Illinois. As I looked around the table at the folks that had gathered, I marveled at the realization that it was because of ATN that we were gathered together. How cool is that? I am thrilled that my little grass-roots effort has expanded... more

I am incredibly, incredibly tired today. I don’t hit the wall often but when I do, it ain’t pretty. If I had to lead the YMCA dance as the Chief today... we'd be in trouble.

I dropped my daughter and the neighbor kids at school this morning at 8:30 and headed to Emporia, Kansas where I did another presentation. This time it was for an umbrella organization for all of Kansas, encompassing the larger private organizations that provide the services for our state social services. Kansas is privatized… so different contractors bid for the “privilege”... more

I am finally able to catch a few moments to sit down and blog. I returned late Friday night from the ATTACh conference in St. Louis. Saturday morning I had my 3 hour photography class and I could barely keep my eyes open. Were it not for the fact that I bring my laptop and LCD projector to show everyone’s digital photos for class, I would have considered skipping the class. But I was there physically at least.

Saturday afternoon I crashed for a short nap and then checked out all the cool things that were done on our house... more

Recently I posted my thoughts about how discouraged I was about the lack of change in my daughter Amy over the past almost-two-decades. One mom even accused me of “stealing her hope”. Other readers pointed out how it was not in my power to take away anyone’s hope…but it was an emotional online debate.

When I started ADN, it was founded on the premise that my feelings were my feelings, whether they were politically correct or not. And it was my brutal honesty that spoke to other parents from the very beginning. I don’t want to... more

I am sitting here in the exhibit room of the Sheraton Westport hotel in St. Louis, MO. ADN’s administrative assistant, Kelly, is here as well and we are exhibiting at the ATTACh conference.

I always enjoy reconnecting with parents and therapists that I only have a chance to see once or twice a year. There are some really dedicated parents and professionals here, and I consider it a privilege to be a part of this community.

Although living with an attachment-affected child is extremely challenging and frustrating much of the time, there are some perks. One of those perks is the opportunity to meet and spend time with some very deep and caring individuals. After dealing with... more

Although it is eleven months away, things are starting to roll for the Attachment Disorder Network’s second annual conference. It will be here in Kansas City next August 1-4. We will have pre-conference institutes… longer workshops with some well known folks. Foster Cline, Deborah Hage, Katherine Leslie and Nancy Ashe have all agreed to speak. We will be putting out a Call for Proposals shortly. We will also have early bird registration discounts and other incentives to encourage you to commit as early as possible, so we can better plan the event.... more

Next year’s ADN conference will be in the Kansas City area. I am hoping to nail down a specific time and location very soon. I would like to hear from you folks as to what you want this conference to provide. We had a ton of fun at the first one, and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

The focus of our first conference was FIRST and foremost to make parents feel welcomed, supported, validated and understood. That was absolutely the most important objective. Secondly, we wanted to provide an opportunity to learn about... more

My head is spinning with all the information, sharing, camaraderie and fun that I experienced this past week at the Attachment Disorder Network’s first annual conference. We had SO much fun! And we learned SO much. I hardly know where to begin.

This conference was designed by parents, for parents. We had some amazing speakers, many of whom were parenting traumatized children themselves. We learned about biomedical interventions, EMDR, cranio-sacral therapy, and how to take care of ourselves. We learned how attachment issues begin, and the role of genetics, in utero environment and the first two years of life on the formation of healthy... more