Stacy starts her book by telling her family’s story. Like many families (including ours), hers was blindsided by the unique needs of kids from trauma. Busy families in the “trenches” will appreciate the format of this resource. It’s apparent that Stacy has indeed been in your shoes at some point over her 12 years of adoptive parenting. While it would be helpful to read the book cover-to-cover, it is organized in such a way that you can read the first 30 pages and then pick and choose the topics that seem relevant to your situation. The main concepts of how to create felt safety for your child(ren) are repeated through each specific scenario. Stacy wants this book to support families and to be a resource that is referred to again and again. This is a great reference book for those implementing trust-based parenting strategies.
Stacy Manning is a mom of six teenagers, 3 biological and 3 adopted, and is the author of Adoptive Parent Intentional Parent: A Formula for Building & Maintaining Your Child’s Safety Net. She is also a post-adoption family coach and educator who has worked with hundreds of families with adopted children, including those struggling with difficult behaviors due to trauma, RAD, FAS, and grief. Stacy specializes in empowering parents to be the healing force their child needs with education, support, and tools to use in everyday life. Stacy works one-on-one with families across the United States, coaching them via phone, Skype, or in person, teaches workshops/webinars, and offers training to families in the process of adoption. Stacy believes that adoptive parents are their child’s best chance at healing and her goal is to teach them how to be intentional parents who are armed with the specific knowledge and tools they need to best help their child. For more information, visit www.tohavehope.com.