Being involved in your child’s education doesn’t have to be extensive or time-consuming, and the benefits are amazing! A student who has an involved parent is more likely to have higher grades, attend class regularly, have fewer behavior problems, and exhibit more positive self-esteem. And really, isn’t that what we all want for our kids?
11
Oct
2016
What Makes My Open Adoption Work – Thoughts from a Birth Mother
From the start, I was open with my son’s parents about wanting the adoption to be open, and while the openness agreement is not legally binding, I knew it needed to be respected for the sake of my son. I was also transparent about wanting to slowly transition from a custodial parent to more of a birth parent role. Therefore, I had frequent contact with my son that lessened over the first two years of placement. I saw him every couple of months until I was comfortable not seeing my son as frequently. My son’s parents also communicated a need with me around the same time that they really needed more space.
10
Oct
2016
Fun Fall Activities for the Family
Now that fall is officially here, the time for swimming and other summer activities is behind us. But parents don’t need to worry about their kids getting bored – there are plenty of fun things to do in the fall, as well.
Here, you can find our suggestions for fall activities the whole family will love.
6
Oct
2016
Great Resources for Adoption Information
When it comes to researching adoption and trying to find out how everything works, it’s hard to distinguish between the good sources and the not so good sources. There are plenty of websites out there ready to dump loads of information on you…but not all …
5
Oct
2016
It’s World Teacher Day
Today is World Teacher’s Day! This day was created in 1994 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and is devoted to making time to address issues pertaining to teachers.
Teachers in some countries face problems that, us, as Americans, can’t fathom. But the United States has shown deep ambivalence toward the profession – we value teachers’ work, but sometimes don’t give them their due in salary or respect. So, while you may not be able to affect global change in one day, there are things you can do on October 5 (or every day) to help support teachers:
3
Oct
2016
Happy Pizza Month!
October is the one month of the year that we dedicate to the truly superior food group – pizza! We didn’t know National Pizza Month was a real thing either, but we’re not complaining.
To celebrate, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite pizza recipes that family members of all ages will love. Check them out!
29
Sep
2016
4 Topics to Address as a Transracial Family
Over the years, transracial adoption has become increasingly common, largely because people are much more open about their adoption stories today. Still, transracial adoption has its own unique challenges – but so does every type of family. The key is understanding, preparing for, and talking about those challenges.
If you are thinking about transracial adoption, here are some subjects you will need to think about as your child grows.
28
Sep
2016
Why Open Adoption is Important to Birth Mothers
The question is: why is having an open adoption important to me? Having an open adoption means I stay connected with my child. Just because I made a decision not to parent every day doesn’t mean I don’t want to have a relationship with my child. I also believe that us having a relationship is better for him as well in the long run.
23
Sep
2016
What is Semi-Open Adoption?
So you’ve heard of open adoption and you’ve heard of closed adoption, right? But have you heard of semi-open adoption?
Semi-open adoption is a fairly new idea, only having really taken off in the last couple decades. It refers to those adoptions where contact is exchanged between birth mothers and adoptive families, but identifying information remains private. Ok, that makes sense, but how does it work?
21
Sep
2016
The One Thing that is Affecting Your Wait Time
Ask any adoptive family out there and they will tell you that the wait between becoming an active family and having their child placed in their arms was the hardest part of the entire adoption process. There’s so much excitement and anticipation as you wait for that little bundle of joy, but everything is out of your control.
Fortunately, you can drastically reduce your wait time by changing one simple thing: your APQ.