Leaping into 2025: Embracing Change with Confidence and Trust
Key Takeaways Trust in Support: We can lean on those around us (friends, family, community members, or Chosen) for support when facing challenges or unknowns. Perseverance Through Fear: Fear is natural, but it doesn’t have to stop us. We can move forward with excitement and anticipation, knowing it’s part of growth. Generational Life’s Journey is […]
Listening to the Adoptee’s Voice – Creating Space for Hard Truths This Adoption Awareness Month
Key Takeaways Adoptees deserve the full ownership of their stories, with all the complexities and truths they contain. Love alone can’t erase the unique pain of relinquishment, but supporting adoptees’ connections to their origins strengthens the family bond. Creating space for adoptees’ questions and feelings—no matter how hard—builds trust, healing, and connection. “I wish I […]
Nurturing Discipline: Practical Alternatives to Spanking
Nurturing Discipline: Practical Alternatives to Spanking In another post, we explored What Does The Bible Say About Spanking? One clear takeaway is that it is important to discipline our kids. So, what is the difference between punishment (like spanking) and discipline? Today, let’s delve deeper into that difference as well as some practical alternatives that […]
Handle Sibling Fights and Nurture a Positive Attachment Every Day
BY BETHANY HALL If you are a foster, adoptive, or kinship family, then you know caring for multiple children isn’t easy. Squabbles, sharing, and getting under each other’s skin is bound to happen any time of the year. However, sibling fights and other behaviors tend to get worse during long breaks like summertime or holidays. Our […]
Screen Time: Summer Parenting Tips to Help You Manage
When it comes to screen time and kids, it is easy to feel like you are facing off against a monster. Television and video games have been around for decades, but in recent years, use and ease of access has exploded. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no screen time for children until 18 to […]
Parenting Tips: Summer Advice that Can Bring Structure and Make Free Time Count
Summer is filled with fun and games, but it also has frustrating moments. There’s often dysregulation in the house (tantrums, defiance, whining and disrespect.) Why is that? The sudden lack of structure over summer break can cause “bad behaviors” to emerge. The good news is we as parents and caregivers can do something about it. […]
Tossing, Turning, and Counting Sheep!
Everyone knows that parents of newborns operate on a deficit in the snooze department. Babies are up around the clock for obvious reasons. But sleep can also be tricky for older kids who have experienced loss, abuse, and neglect. Separation anxiety, memories of bad things that happened in the dark, and grief can all intensify […]
Connecting with Teens through Shared Journaling
Connecting with teens can be hard. Video games, earbuds, and social media command much of their attention. If you’re parenting teens, one-word answers might leave you wondering, “What are they thinking? What are they feeling? Do they even care?” Many teens keep their emotions hidden, while others huff, puff, and stomp off when parents try […]
What Does the Bible Say About Spanking?
Thoughts On Corporal Punishment Corporal punishment has been a controversial topic for many decades, particularly among Christian families. Proponents of this disciplinary method often cite passages in the Old Testament book of Proverbs. We have all heard the saying, “spare the rod, spoil the child.” Contrary to popular belief, this phrase isn’t found in Scripture. […]
Food Fights? Try a Snack Box!
For several children, this traditional model works well enough. But kids who have experienced neglect often feel anxiety around food. Some take or hide food even when there is more than enough on the table and in the pantry. Others fly off the handle when a snack is delayed or denied. When children have been […]
Trauma Informed to Trauma Responsive Care
Loss hurts. Neglect and abuse cut deep. Early childhood trauma leaves lasting scars. Whether the baby in the womb adopted at birth, the 3-year-old being raised by grandparents, or the teenager in foster care, all children who have been separated from birth parents have experienced some level of trauma. As a result, these kids often face […]
Back To School Tips & Tricks
Back to School Parents may both cheer and dread these three words. Some feel hopeful about new beginnings, friendships, and learning. Others are anxious about learning struggles and loneliness. As parents of children who have experienced Complex Developmental Trauma, we have yet another layer to consider. Often, our children struggle with transitions. When our kids […]
