They say a picture is worth a thousand words.... And if that's the case, then this one is worth a million. For most families who walk side-by-side with children from hard places, photos like these capture the true magnificence of a moment where the power of love and hard work pay off. Recently, our family… Continue reading Storm Swells and Pictures
Tag: Parenting
Why Adopt Again…?
Recently, a worker in Ohio asked to share something we wrote about adoption a while back when we were adopting our six from Nevada. We were honored to be asked if she could share it and hopefully it will find the person wondering if adoption has been planted in their hearts. Domestically or internationally, there… Continue reading Why Adopt Again…?
7 Ways to Help Your Kiddo Cope with Grief (& helps for big people, too)
When Mark died, Ben was only 8 years old. They were best friends and buddies, and he was Mark's little shadow. And, he didn't cry. We were worried. I sought advice from a counselor, researched a little on the internet, and then followed my mom instincts. "If I had been sleeping on the couch, I… Continue reading 7 Ways to Help Your Kiddo Cope with Grief (& helps for big people, too)
Ant Hills
No, this isn’t a how-to lesson on insect fumigation and getting rid of ant hills. Instead, this is a post about how I learned to help my adopted children talk to me about their early childhood trauma and abuse. After 8 rages in 9 days, we were at our wits end on how to get… Continue reading Ant Hills
The LOVE Wall
I laid in bed that night and struggled to find sleep. The conversation with my teenage son playing over and over in my head. Oh, how I wish he knew how much I loved him and how amazing he is! And yet, I was disappointed that all of my words had been critical. My heart… Continue reading The LOVE Wall
Broken Crayons Still Color
We are finally through day 2 of rages. It is days like this where I can see in to the very depth of my child's soul and all of the broken and smashed pieces and all I want to do is desperately put them back together. The rages are exhausting -- for all of us.… Continue reading Broken Crayons Still Color
You Are Wonderfully Made
It's after midnight and I just finished having a tender heart-to-heart with my 13 year old. It's not the kind I expected to be having -- we didn't talk about girls or music or baseball like we normally do. Instead, we talked about pain tolerance, life insurance, and muscle biopsies. We both cried a little… Continue reading You Are Wonderfully Made
The Curse of the Nags…
"How many times have we had this conversation?" I looked at my teenager in disbelief that once again we were having the same conversation about homework and chores that we had maybe a week ago. In between my frustration and a certain level of anger, I felt like a complete failure as a parent .… Continue reading The Curse of the Nags…
