If your child has certain medical conditions, you may consider getting a service animal. These highly trained animals are not “pets” in the sense that we normally use the term, though they do become part of the family and are very much loved!

Service animals are used in many ways by many individuals. We are probably most familiar with them in the role of “guide dog” for those with vision impairments. However, they can assist with mobility, such as pulling a wheelchair. Service dogs have also been trained to “sniff” lows in children with Type 1 diabetes, by detecting... more

In my quest to obtain more information about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD), I’m hearing a lot of buzz about EMDR. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. From what I understand, it is an eight-stage information processing technique. It appears to be hailed as a particularly effective treatment option for sufferers of PTSD. I only saw a few sites that mentioned use in the treatment of PTSD in children. Therefore, it’s not something I can use to help me here and now with the issues my six-year-old is facing, but rather research for future reference,... more

For so long, my daughter took on the personal responsibility of ensuring her younger brother was safe. She’s a total “protector” and has been in “full mama mode” for some time now.

For children who are used to “being in charge,” it’s hard to let go once they are in the safe confines of an adoptive family.

My daughter routinely goes beyond whatever instructions I give her. If I ask her to put her dishes in the sink and rinse them with water, she will wash them with lots and lots of dish soap. Not a huge deal, unless it makes a big mess that I then have... more

As I shared in my last two posts, Medicating the Adopted Child for ADHD and Frustration With Medicating the Adopted Child for ADHD, I have been facing the struggles of medicating my adopted child for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Even though I tried... more

In my last post, Medicating the Adopted Child for ADHD, I shared the positive side of medicating my adopted child for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This post is about the frustrations.

While the first day of my son being on ADHD medication was sheer bliss, the side effects were just awful. Once the medication wore off, he was just as hyperactive as... more

I have shared several times that my adopted son Nicholas, who is seven years old, has Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I have been advocating for medication for well over a year, but I have not gotten much support from the doctor or my husband until recently.

The school got involved with a situation that happened on the campus, and my son was referred to the school's intervention team. Long story short, they sent home a bunch of paperwork expressing "significant... more

My son, who is seven years old, has been asking for a baby sister lately. For the most part, he has seemed to be happy as an only child. I make a lot of effort to provide him with play dates and social activities so that he has many opportunities to interact with other children. However, most of his friends have siblings, and I guess it is only natural for him to desire a sibling as well. Also, during the holidays, he got to spend a lot of time with his cousins, which kind of felt like having siblings, and then went back to being the only child in the house.

If... more

I do not often use my blog as a forum for venting my frustrations, but I am going to today. I am fed up with people trying to make me feel guilty and responsible for my son's Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). It seems like I cannot get away from the judgmental attitudes of people who blame me for my child having the inability to focus or sit still.

In fairness, I do not receive these comments personally very often, but I hear them spoken in generalities,... more

When my husband and I were waiting to adopt, our one consolation was that we could be guaranteed a healthy baby. If I had conceived a child, I would have done all I could to ensure that my baby was born healthy, but I have seen firsthand with several of my friends that even the best diets, exercise, and prenatal care cannot prevent some health issues from arising. One friend lost her baby to spina bifida halfway through her pregnancy despite stellar prenatal care. Having to wait to adopt was hard, but at least we knew we could be sure we would have a healthy... more

On my post Traumatized Adopted Child's Need to Purge Emotions, a reader posted the following comment:

Getting the kids to let it out seems to be the really difficult part. They have learned so well to keep the protective shield up, that it is very difficult to get past that. One of mine never did, and pays a price for that trapped anger. Any chance of a post of 'how to' in getting the child to start letting that trapped stuff out? Great post Faith.... more