Strengthening Our Children’s Stories
“We are, as a species, addicted to story. Even when the body goes to sleep, the mind stays up all night, telling itself stories.” Jonathan Gottschall Stories. We love the stories we find in books and movies. We love the stories we find in books and movies. Our culture spends significant amounts of time […]
Understanding Our Senses
In my early days as a foster parent, I would often tell people about puzzling behaviors in my children that seemed to not make any sense–from laying upside down while watching television, or rocking back and forth. I would often hear people say, “could it be a sensory issue?” I was too embarrassed to admit […]
No Replacements Necessary
“How would you feel if Grammy walked away from you? I feel like I wasn’t wanted.” This is what one of my daughters tearfully said to me about sixteen years after she was adopted. We were standing in our family room on the day of a school discussion that triggered big emotions. She was asking […]
Foster and Adoption: Language and Sharing Imperfections
BY STACI THOMAS The words we use have a tremendous impact on those around us. It’s crucial to choose our language carefully when speaking of adoption and foster children. We should strive to use phrases that reflect how deeply we care. This means we need to avoid words that cast judgment on the child, paint […]
Helping Young People in Foster Care Through the Holidays
“Holidays are hard even when u have found “new family” because u still feel awkward and ur mom and dad are not there so though it is easier it sill makes u sad because u are reminded of what u don’t have.” — FosterClub member Divine, age 21, from Wisconsin, in foster care more than […]
Three Essential Pillars for Foster and Adopted Children
In 2008, an Australian psychologist named Howard Bath published an article (linked below) called “The Three Pillars of Trauma Informed Care.” Nearly a decade later, his work holds true as we continue to see the benefits of using trauma-informed interventions with foster and adopted children. Occasionally returning to the basics of trauma-informed care is essential […]
