The appeal form read:

"Your services will only be continued if you appeal by the later of: 10 days from the date of this Notice; or, the date that the services will be terminated or reduced."

We had our appeal package in the day before John's services (including residential care) were to be flatly terminated. So, we argued that we had submitted the package in time. Barely in time, but in time nonetheless.

The woman on the phone INSISTED that over 10 days was too late. Her supervisor insisted the same, and told us some malarky... more

Toddler adoption is different from infant and older child adoption. Adopting a toddler comes with its whole set of issues and concerns one needs to prepare for. Parenting a toddler is hard; parenting a toddler with attachment issues is even harder. We came home with this mobile and active toddler and even though we were prepared it threw us for a loop. When adopting a toddler you have yourself a mobile, active child who can remember her old environment but not verbalize her pain. A Toddler by nature has that streak of independence,... more

My son is about to not get mental health treatment that he desperately needs. He needs fantastic amounts of support to function very simply in a limited world. It isn’t like he just wasn’t going to get one therapy or another. Rather, his entire world as he knows it would change – not for the better.

I have an adopted daughter who needed a liver transplant when she came to us. She was in foster care and UNOS (United Network for Organ Sharing – THE listing center if you need a transplant) removed her name from the transplant list because foster care is considered... more

This blog is a continuation of the story of getting proper help for our very mentally ill son, John. The short version of the previous blog is that he really needs help, we received notice from state mental health that they are terminating services for John, and we sent in an appeals packet at the very last possible moment.

We’ve done this a few times before in our journey of parenting kids with mental illness, emotional disorders, or behavior disturbances.... more

While we are still waiting for our OT referral for Livi’s sensory seeking issues I have been reading all I can get my hands on about SID and a sensory diet. A sensory diet just means planned & scheduled activities to do with your child under the guidance of an Ot to provide the child’s nervous system with the input it needs. It is something that is done at home, school and in therapy sessions. A sensory diet will be created especially for your child depending on his/her sensory profile and needs. What works for one child may irritate another child,... more

One of my adopted sons does not live in our home. He is still part of our family, yet we parent him in a different way, with him living in a residential treatment setting. The extensive abuse that he suffered in his early years, combined with a genetic history that was not kind to him, have sadly come together causing this gorgeous, charming boy to not have the skills nor ability to live in a family setting.

I’ve blogged before about our struggles... more

My 12yr old adopted daughter goes to a school now that is ultra PC (politically correct). Angie is mentally retarded and has fetal alcohol syndrome and other forms of brain damage due to early childhood abuse. We have been her family for 6 years. She is in middle school now, so she has switched to a different class than she had in younger grades. She now goes to “life skills” instead of “special education” classes.

She brought home a form a couple of weeks ago. “This is for the Olympics,” she said flatly. I asked... more

Mo from the Korean adoption blog posted yesterday about a Korean English doll. Interested, I followed the link. The doll is sold by Target and available on their website www.target.com. Not having a Korean born nor Korean speaking child myself, I checked around the site to see if they offered something similar in other languages. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they sure did. They offer a similar doll in many different languages; I was pleased with the variety that isn’t usually offered by other... more

I have three daughters, adopted at ages 15-17. Our home was their first adoptive home in all three cases. In all three cases, the children grew up in a home with both birth parents. In all three cases, there were extenuating circumstances in the birth homes that prevented healthy attachments for the girls – parental mental retardation, severe/life threatening health issues from infancy on, parental mental illnesses, or birth parents who were completely emotionally unavailable. Yet, the girls remained in those homes until their... more

“If we adopt a baby, we can avoid attachment problems.” “If we adopt an older kid, they come with attachment problems.”

Two statements that I hear quite often. But, are they true? I don’t think so.

True attachment disorder occurs in a span from conception to the first few years of life. So, anyone from babies thru adults can have a diagnosis of reactive attachment disorder. It’s the early experiences that the diagnosis is based on and not things that happened in a child’s life after those... more