When infantile ego-centricity meets traumatized teens

When individuals spend copious amounts of time feeling insecure, they start learning to protect themselves at all cost. Their brain is constantly in hyper-alert mode which causes it to stop developing. Many people get stuck in the stage of development that is eg0-centric–literally incapable of thinking about how things may impact someone else. As Dr. Bruce Perry […]

Let it Go!

I mentioned in this post how I was learning to LET IT GO! Here are some ways that is playing out in our family. FOOD. One of our kids uses food as a control mechanism. She’ll get upset and one of her attempts at control can sound like, “I’m not eating,” or “I’m not packing […]

Change

“I cannot change my child, but I can change me…” These words from a testimonial in the book A Place I Didn’t Belong* jumped off the page. This was only my third time through this devotional but for whatever reason, the truth of these words had not hit me square in the forehead like they did […]

Love is Enough

Because of our story and our training in trust-based parenting, I am privy to a part of our culture that is going largely unrecognized save for a few sensational news stories like this recent one. People, the stress of healing hurt kids is tearing families apart all over our country every day. Most of these […]

Your brain is a mirror | Some notes on relationships

  Someone recently shared a video on a Facebook that really resonated with me. It’s a really-smart guy, Dr. Bruce Perry, validating our ETC Training, reasons for homeschooling, and experiences we’ve had with our kids. Watching this video (or a comparable one) should really be required of all politicians, parents, and education majors…or just everyone. […]

How the church is failing families

<- – -begin soapbox- – -> “I don’t know what to do, my child is threatening to kill herself.” “It’s so bizarre, my child is toileting everywhere but in the toilet. He’s 9.” “I don’t know how much more I can take. The rages don’t seem to be getting better, and I’m exhausted.” “I have […]

food and older adopted teens

Food and Older Adopted Kids

Food is one of the hot topics that comes up often on adoption forums and in support groups. Because kids from hard places often need control to feel safe (remember that ‘feel’ is different than ‘be’), it’s important to pick and choose your battles. If a family does not choose to let their child(ren) feel […]

{Review} Navigation the Explosion

You all may remember my new friend, Allison, from this year’s Adoption Blogger Interview Project. Today she released a new book called Navigating the Explosion. This books takes the adoptive Mother through the adoption process and life afterwards with encouraging letters from moms who have been there.     As a mom who’s in an […]