My take on the WRETCHED RAD Video

I had never heard of the WRETCHED Network or Todd Friel before yesterday, but now a video he recorded has gone viral in the adoption community. As anything viral, it evokes strong emotions; However, this video has been rather polarizing. Folks either really identified with it or found it untrue and offensive. Todd’s delivery is […]

Fall Transitions

For a fleeting moment, I actually let myself believe we could slip into the fall schedule without drama. We had actually gone a couple months without Patrick having to come home from work, and all the kids (but one especially) had made notable forward strides. Note to self: When dealing with kids from trauma, never […]

First Year Reflections

We did something few families do (or few social workers let happen). We adopted three, unrelated, older children (all with double-digit ages) basically all at once and out of birthorder when we already had a kid from a hard place in our home. Can you count the red flags? We’re at about T plus a year. […]

Quote-worthy

Sometimes you just need a humor intermission.  These are some quotes I’ve been collecting over the last year. Most of them come from the girls. I don’t need dessert…it’s not my business. A major learning theme this year is to worry about yourself (in terms of tattling, etc.)  This is really hard for hypervigilant kids. […]

Talk to the hand

The bag of tricks just keeps getting bigger. Today’s trick:  Get silly! (aka…grasping at straws.) This morning, Mia got to the bathroom just before Grace.  It was perceived by Grace that Mia was maliciously cutting her off. Grace: Mia, you look devil. Patrick (in a sharp tone): Grace, I don’t ever want to hear that […]

{Voices} Uncertain

I won’t lie.  Grace has given us a run for our money in terms of behavior.  In stressful situations, people tend to flee, fight, or freeze.  Grace is a fighter.  As a kid from a hard place, she is constantly in a state of high alert and very high stress so she is fighting the majority […]

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{Answers} Birth Order

This is the fourth post in a series that answers the questions you asked.  To read the rest of the series, click here. I apologize that the answers to your fab questions have rolled out quite as quickly as I imagined.  Thanks for your patience. Our son is almost 5 and in thinking about adopting again, […]

{Answers} Alpha child

You guys ask hard good questions. I’m going to answer them the best I can as things stand now.  DISCLAIMER: If you ask them again in 6 months, the answers may be different.  I’m also going to milk this Q&A thing by answering one or two questions at a time. We adopted three children – […]