Square Peg Edition by Dawn Davenport of Creating A Family

Source: https://creatingafamily.org

By Dawn Davenport of Creating A Family

When groups of parents hang out or socialize, I’ve noticed that parents of kids with special needs or learning disabilities tend to find each other. It’s as if we have a homing signal that draws us together. We share something and understand things in a way that other parents sometime don’t get.

It doesn’t even have to be a life altering special need; it’s enough to be parenting a square peg in our round-holed world– the type of kid who just doesn’t fit the mold.

One of the things we get is the inherent “what if’s” and “what then’s” that seem to come with the territory of parenting a child that is “different”. The fears that wake us up at night with a grip of panic about what the future will bring for this child…  and also for us.

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Parenting Adopted Teens and Tweens

Source: http://creatingafamily.org

By Dawn Davenport, Creating A Family

Adopted adolescents are more alike non-adopted kids than different, but adoption adds a layer of complexity to the teen and tween years. Join host Dawn Davenport in exploring the teen years and what parents can do to help.

See Video.

Adopting After Infertility: Are You Ready??

 

 

Adopting After Infertility Are You Ready?

Because managing feelings around infertility and loss is so highly correlated with positive adoption outcomes, many of you have asked us to present information on this topic. 

In Adopting After Infertility, Pat Irwin Johnston, author and adoptive mom, leads prospective adoptive parents through the importance of taking time to grieve the losses imposed by infertility, explains adoption as child focused and helps couples assess their readiness to begin the adoption process. 

Learn more about Adopting After Infertility

Tough Starts Matter Series

FREE through November

The recent Reuters/NBC story on "re-homing" has further highlighted the need for quality preparation and support for adoptive families parenting a child

with behavioral challenges. 

Through November, our Tough Starts Matter series is free to anyone - spread the word and help us get the training and support where it's needed.

The series includes four courses that help families understand how a difficult beginning may lead to troubling behavior years later. Tough Starts courses also introduce therapeutic parenting as a way to support these children and offer advice on caring for yourself and family during what can be an extremely emotional and stressful time.

Send families here to take Tough Starts Matter for free

Subsequent Adoptions

We have been asked by many of you to suggest choices for those families training for a subsequent adoption.  We've created a page with our recommendations making it easy for you to direct families to one place! Download a list of courses.

Check out our subsequent adoption recommendations

Resources

• ALP Sound Bites
• ALP Blogs
• Downloads

Feel free to contact me with any questions!

Best,
Kirby Lindgren
kirby@adoptionlearningpartners.org
847.845.7911

 

Adoption is Not the Same as Having a Child of Your Own

Last week, I blogged on some insensitive comments posted on an essay about the pain felt by many infertile woman on Mother’s Day.  (“Why Not Just Adopt”)  It wasn’t, however, just the infertile that were maimed by thoughtlessness.  A number of comments by infertile people in response to the questions of why not adopt echoed Maire: “Adoption is not the same as having a child of your own.”

Read more.

Source: Creating A Family