April 27, 2010

Lying

Lying is a common issue with all children, but it can be especially challenging with children who have been abused, neglected, spent time in foster care, etc. It is difficult for parents to figure out why the child is lying and how to respond appropriately! This is a great handout that talks about the different kinds of lying and what you can do. Check it out here.

April 26, 2010

In Response to Failed Russian Adoption...

Below you will find a letter to the editor that our Program Director, Deb Finley, wrote in response to the recent failed Russian adoption we have been hearing so much about on the news.

"I am prompted to write after observing the recent saga of the failed adoption of a 7 year old Russian child. Regardless of who is responsible for what, it is clear that the adoptive family was unprepared and overwhelmed by the emotional and behavioral needs of this young soul. In the world of foster care and adoption, the “honeymoon phase” is how we refer to the initial post placement time of a child into a new home. The child begins to feel “safe” enough to express feelings and behaviors. This can indeed be a challenging time for the child and family. Timely post placement support services by adoption professionals can be a critical factor in helping the child and family work through intense feelings and behaviors. Alabama is blessed to have what I consider an exceptional post adoption support program formed through a cooperative effort of Children’s Aid Society (a non-profit) and the Alabama Department of Human Resources. Adoptive Family Counseling and Adoptive Family Support Groups (separate adult and child groups) are two of the many services that are free to Alabama adoptive families. Yes, adoption disruptions still occur in Alabama. But thanks to Alabama’s response to challenges that adoptive families may encounter, the transition of a child into a new and unfamiliar home can be met with greater understanding, support, and capacity. Please spread the word to Alabama adoptive families."

Debra Hawk Finley, LCSW
Program Director of Alabama Pre/Post Adoption Connections
Children’s Aid Society

More on the Adoption Tax Credit

Here is a great document that explains a little bit more about the Adoption Tax Credit. Click here.

April 22, 2010

April in National Child Abuse Prevention Month

National Child Abuse Prevention Month is a time to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect and to encourage individuals and communities to support children and families. Check out this website to find out what YOU can do!

April 19, 2010

Different Trips to the Same Place

Deciding to have a baby is like planning a trip to Australia. You've heard it's a wonderful place. You've read many guidebooks and feel certain you're ready to go. Everyone you know has traveled there by plane. They say it can be a turbulent flight with occasional rough landings, but you can look forward to being pampered on the trip.

So you go to the airport and ask the ticket agent for a ticket to Australia. All around you, excited people are boarding planes for Australia. It seems there is no seat for you: You'll have to wait for the next flight. Impatient, but anticipating a wonderful trip, you wait - and wait - and wait.

Flights to Australia continue to come and go. People say silly things like, "Relax, you'll get on a flight soon." Other people actually get on a plane and then cancel their trip, to which you cry, "It's not fair!"

After a long time the ticket agent tells you, "I'm sorry, we're not going to be able to get you on a plane to Australia. Perhaps you should think about going by boat."

"By boat!" you say, "going by boat will take a very long time and it costs a great deal of money, I really had my heart set on going by plane." So you go home and think about not going to Australia at all. You wonder if Australia will be as beautiful if you approach it by sea rather than air. But you have long dreamed of this wonderful place, and finally you decide to travel by boat.

It's a long trip, many months over many rough seas. No one pampers you. You wonder if you will ever see Australia. Meanwhile, your friends have flown back and forth to Australia two or three more times, marveling about each trip.

Then one glorious day, the boat docks in Australia. It is more exquisite than you ever imagined, and the beauty is magnified by your long days at sea. You have made many fiends during your voyage, and you find yourself comparing stories with others who also traveled by sea rather than air.

People continue to fly to Australia as often as they like, but you are able to travel only once, perhaps twice. Some say things like, "Oh, be glad you didn't fly. My flight was horrible: traveling by sea is so easy."

You will always wonder what it would have been like to fly to Australia. Still, you know God blessed you with a special appreciation of Australia, and the beauty of Australia is not in the way you got there, but in the place itself.

credit: adoption.com

April 6, 2010

2007 Survey of Adoptive Parents

I came across this article today and it is VERY lengthy but has some great information in there! Check it out for general information about adoption, adoption statistics, information on the health, cognitive and physical development of adopted children, adoption satisfaction - pretty much anything adoption related!! Check it out here!