A couple of weeks ago I was on television discussing the Baby Max case that grabbed media attention in Missouri.

There was supposed to be another hearing the next day, but until this morning, no one had heard a word about the outcome of that hearing. This morning I learned that Baby Max would be returned to the Stocklaufers. Apparently, one of the issues in this case involved the legalities of the... more

I am sorry I have been incommunicado for several days. Last weekend was a blur. We left early Saturday morning, picked up a U-Haul trailer at 7 AM in a snowstorm, drove 500 miles to Illinois (in snow the entire way), and arrived at Kyle and Marie’s soon-to-be-ex-apartment at 6 PM. Next, we filled the trailer with furniture they were giving away and that needed to be stashed in a storage unit. The furniture’s new owner had been given the wrong storage unit key, so it was on to her apartment to store it there instead. We ate dinner at 9 PM, and then I took Dora and Beth to the... more

This article in Newsweek crossed my desk this morning, and I just had to bring it to your attention. I have tried repeatedly to post a comment but can’t seem to get through. Perhaps some of you can wade through all the comments from all the other struggling parents and offer them a hand of support?

The article is about a mom who is now in prison for the murder of her adopted daughter from Eastern Europe. The mom snapped after 18 months of trying to parent her preschool-aged child. It goes without saying—but I will... more

Julie Fuller blogged about losing Christmas presents for unacceptable behavior, and this really rang a chime with me. I just had to comment on this …

I know of a family who had a child who never, ever participated in birthday or Christmas gift exchanges. In fact, the family used to joke about the fact that as they were all sitting down for the birthday dinner, this child would run to the computer and quickly print off a generic birthday card, signed on the computer. Literally... 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

It’s a balmy 21 degrees outside (feels like 10 degrees) and soon I will bundle up and take the dogs for a walk. They don’t care how cold it is …they still want their action. This picture is on the front of our homemade Christmas card. Just like Hallmark, right?

We decorated the Christmas tree this morning … my husband, Dora, Beth and me. This was Dora’s first time decorating a Christmas tree. She thinks our holiday traditions and decorations are pretty cool. Of course, as we hung up the ornaments, there were many of them with pictures of all the kids growing... more

Dora’s good mood continued after school today, significantly bolstered by her being one of ten kids (out of 24) who will advance to the next level of the spelling bee. She joined us on a walk, enjoying a few inches of snow, and right now, she and Beth are making all kinds of noise as they set the table and make drinks for dinner.

Remember that I mentioned Kaleidoscope in a previous blog? Kaleidoscope is a cool kid’s “playground” created and maintained by Hallmark cards. There are... more

Dora had the best day yesterday that she has had in a long while. As I mentioned previously, she was much more relaxed after purging her feelings while moving manure. We had a good talk during our rocking time that evening, and apparently, she listened. Among other things, I told her there was no way around the pain … only through it. Face it, deal with it, move past it … or live indefinitely with it unsuccessfully buried somewhere within. I also told her for every day she considered her options but did nothing,... more

Dora completed her required bags of manure last night and came inside much calmer and more relaxed. She cleaned up and joined me in the “lower level” while I worked at arranging new furniture and completing the transformation from "unfinished basement" to family room.

One of the boxes I retrieved from the unfinished side of the basement contained the Cabbage Patch dolls that once occupied a space in our rec room, but were stashed in a box for several years due to frequent moves. These dolls represent my kids: Kyle and Steph, Tommy and Amy, Beth, and Big Amanda,... more

I was going to talk about Missouri foster care abuses today, but I have delayed that until later this week. Today I thought I’d give you another report on Dora, still struggling after my being gone last weekend and struggling in general about what she wants to do (or not do) with her life.

What she’d really like to do is leap into Beth’s life, without all the work or bother that goes with it. She will readily admit that she has given nothing back in the past three months, and that the things she did around the house to “give back” while she was honeymooning... more