A lot of adoptive moms tell me that they'd do anything for their kids, but they don't know where to start or what to do. They are tirelessly seeking out post adoption support and resources and coming up empty handed. Unfortunately, there is a HUGE gap in post adoption support. We've felt it personally.
I'm sharing what we've found helpful...even life saving...so you don't have to stumble around blindly for as long as we did.
Find A Local Tribe
There's really nothing better than being able to sit across from another mom gets your stories and validates you. You're not crazy, and you're certainly not the only one. Trust me.
If you're not sure where to start looking, search Facebook or Meetup for "<your city> Adoptive Moms." Or head to a local coffee shop once a month and advertise it in your local community publication's event calendar as an "Adoption Support Group." I did this for a season. Moms came out of the woodworks, and I'm still friends with some of them today.
If all else fails, I'd love to invite you to a virtual coffee. You can hop on my schedule by clicking HERE.
But, really, try to find some in-person people.
Find An Online Tribe
This is no substitution for a local, in-person tribe, but online communities are an important part of my support system. They are great for getting answers and advice quickly. Not sure where to start? You will receive an invite to the Adoption Connection's official FB support group when you download "5 Tips to Save Your Summer."
Train Yourself
Read a book. Listen to a podcast. Take an online course. Parenting kids from hard places is not intuitive. I had to re-learn everything I ever thought I knew about parenting.
We are offering 2 courses this summer over at the Adoption Connection--How to Keep Your Marriage Strong (for the mom who has nothing left) and How to Balance Nurture and Structure. These will both be LIVE, interactive support groups with lots of helpful tips. They start a week from tomorrow (6/7), click HERE to register now...before you forget.
Train Your People
Is it possible to die from over exposure to well-intentioned, yet uninvited, advice from you family and friends? Probably not, but I feel you.
At a minimum, have everyone who you regularly come in contact with watch this 3 minute video. Ideally, you would gather your people over 2 evenings to watch this.
The more people you have speaking from the same dictionary about your kids, the better.
If you need some post adoption support, I loved these pointers! Click To TweetIf you're new here, welcome! You've found a safe place.
If you've been a regular visitor, you've watched a lot of transitions, but the recurring theme is that I am on a mission to help families. I never want a family to feel as lonely and hopeless as we felt when we were struggling with how to parent our kids well. I am stepping out in faith to go into parent training and coaching full-time. I'm excited to be more available to you!