As 2024 debuts, a sense of possibility fills our thoughts and hearts. Growing Intentional Families Together will continue to create and make a difference with adoptive families. We have several changes ready to launch, including a reimagined podcast, a series of vlogs (video blogs) plus collaborations with other leaders in the adoption community.

We will continue to expand our library of courses for adoptive parents, and will present more webinars for adoption agencies and organizations, and at conferences. We believe in the possibility of growing better informed adoptive parents, better supported adoptees, and this possibility energizes and motivates our work.

Growing Intentional Families Together stands in a unique place in the adoption coaching community because each of us is not only a trained, certified coach but also each of us is a member of an adoptive family either as an adoptee, a birth mother, or an adoptive parent. Everything that we create is infused with lived expertise that reflect all three of these points of view. This broader perspective produces deeper insights, stronger empathy, and more robust family connections.

Growing Intentional Families Together firmly believe that coaching based on this Adoption Attuned Parenting Approach grows happier, healthier families. We also believe that everyone who reads our blog whether you are an adoptive parent, an adoption professional, a prospective adoptive parent, or a birth mother—all of you share a common interest with us. Each of you wants to build stronger, healthier and happier adoptive families where children who have been placed for adoption can thrive.

A sad and uncomfortable truth also touches all of us. Adoption originates in trauma. Because of this, adoptive parenting necessitates a new parenting blueprint, one based on the unique and genuine needs of adopted children. Adoptive parenting demands that parents understand complex trauma, how to address and help adopted children manage the fallout, how they can develop resilience, and learn to balance their dual heritages.

This is not something that happens by intuition. To parent an adopted child well is a definite possibility. However, it requires specific education and preparation. They are as essential as unconditional love. Education and preparation walk hand in hand guiding our good intentions with knowledge, skill, and commitment.

Adopted parents live in possibility. We trust that we can build families and love children who have not been born to us. Of course we hope that they can love us in return and that we can become strong loving families.

Hope is not enough however. We must braid our hope with action. Do the hard things. See the hard things. Open our hearts and minds to embrace the realities of adoption. It is different from raising children born to us. As a consequence, complications arise that we must confront and obstacles that our children must navigate. They need us to stand with them, move beyond blind optimism and address the challenging realities of being an adoptee and being part of an adopted family.

They depend on us to be their sanctuary, their support, and their cheerleaders. We will all need to recognize the complexities of adoption and face them together with awareness, information, and compassion.

Join us in believing in the possibility of growing a happier, healthier family. Growing Intentional Families Together stands ready to walk with you as you undertake this journey of a lifetime. As you begin 2024, we invite you to partner with us. Take our courses. Listen to our podcast. Take our trainings. Read our blogs and the books written by our coaches. You and your children will benefit. That is a definite win for the entire family. Make that possibility a reality.