How do you put a child with ADHD in a time out? Successfully, that is?

This is an actual photo of my son when asked to take himself to a time out. It will likely not surprise you to learn that he has ADHD. Here are some tips to change a time out from the way it looks in this photo and something a lot more successful! 1) Have a defined area for his bottom and/or for his legs. With a chair, tell him that his bottom is to stay on the chair and his legs folded down the sides. A carpet square works... more

Please join me and my family in sending a thankyou to our troops this weekend. Regardless of your feelings about what we are doing overseas, we can agree that a lot of very brave young men and women have sacrificed their time and themselves in service to us and our country.

Take some time with your children to teach them what this holiday is about, a day for a “memorial”. As we gather for the barbeques and pool parties, lets help our children understand and show respect for the many people in our country who have sacrificed everything,... more

Be safe. Be respectful. Be honest. Be kind.

Children NEED rules and limits. Adopted children are not the exception, rather they may have an even stronger need for rules. At the very least, they give a child an idea of what must be done in order to fit on.

How to set family rules:

1) Limit your rules. I have seen a list of rules from another adoptive family that included a bit more than three typewritten pages of rules. Sure, they may all be important things to remember. They must be daunting... more

I love this book cover. I assume it was meant as a "teenage girl get boyfriend" instruction. I rather prefer it as the title for an adoption book! Here is our story of how we got a teen-age son.

Vito is my son. He was placed with us for foster care, but only stayed for 6months or so. He is not adopted. This is a story of how we acquired a son anyway.

Vito came to be part of our family weeks before his 12th birthday. Vito is not his given name. Rather, he has the same first AND middle names of another son. We have... more

May is National Foster Care Month. "All children deserve and benefit from enduring, positive relationships with caring adults. The same is true for the 513,000 American youth in foster care. These young people have a special need to make connections with nurturing adults because their own families are in crisis. Many require secure, stable places to call home until they can either safely reunite with their parent or establish other lifelong family relationships." (from a... more

May is National Foster Care Month. This week, our state had a celebration called the “Blue Ribbon Event” in honor. "The Blue Ribbon Event brings together foster and adoptive families, CPS and DES workers, CASA’s and Foster Care Review Board Members, licensing workers and a variety of child welfare workers to tie one ribbon for each child in Arizona’s foster care system." (AZAFAP Organization)

My family attended and participated. We tied blue ribbons in a downtown area, were... more

Most blogs seem to be targeted toward women. It seems that women are the most likely to read blogs and to seek out information and support on adoptive parenting. What about information for the dads??

I recently discovered a new (to me) website just for dads. An internet article shares “GreatDad.com enables all dads - working, stay-at-home, single, adoptive, …- to find ways to be involved and understand... more

Today is a birthday day at our house!

What do you do to celebrate birthdays at your house? I’ve found that birthday traditions are an important way of bonding a family together. My adopted children, in particular, seem to respond to our birthday celebrations – once it “happens to them”, it helps to cement their belonging in our family.

Traditions bring families together. The funny thing is that it doesn’t even have to be a positive “tradition” to bring families together! Even a neutral thing that happens the... more

When a child has selective mutism, it is generally evident only out of the home. When the child is home, he usually is able to use appropriate speech. So, how can we help our children who have a disorder that’s only evident when we aren’t around??

1. Remove the expectation and the pressure that the child will speak. Let your child know that you understand that he has difficulties. Offer understanding and support to him when he has difficult situations.

2. Don’t use punishment or bribery in attempts to persuade your child to speak. Knowing... more

What Is Selective Mutism?

Selective Mutism is a complex childhood anxiety disorder characterized by a child’s inability to speak in select social settings, such as school. These children understand language and are able to talk normally in settings where they are comfortable, secure and relaxed. (Selective Mutism Organization)

My daughter, Rose, was 4yrs old and in the district special education preschool. Her backpack contained a page of an... more