Gayle Swift, Author at Growing Intentional Families Together, LLC

The Elephant in the Room: Fear of Rejection

by Gayle Swift | Mar 15, 2017 | Adoptive parenting, Blogs by Gayle Swift, General Discussion

Let’s face it, in Adoption World fear of rejection is the elephant in the room. Adoptees fear being rejected by their adoptive parents. Adoptive parents fear being rejected by their children. Birth parents fear being hated and unforgiven by their children. They...

Dear Abby, We Need to Talk about Gotcha

by Gayle Swift | Mar 8, 2017 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Gayle Swift, General Discussion

For adoptive parents, the arrival of their children is a miracle beyond conception and an event which they love to celebrate. In a recent letter, Dear Abby extolled the virtues of “Gotcha Day” as a wonderful way to celebrate an important and life...

Coping with Rejection and Anger

by Gayle Swift | Feb 5, 2012 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Gayle Swift, General Discussion, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors, The Adoption Triad

Recently I shared a conversation with an adult who was adopted as a newborn. She described the soup of emotions that she felt toward her birth-mother. To this day, she maintains a strong current of anger, hurt, frustration, and lack of control. This pain co-exists...

Safe Touch

by Gayle Swift | Sep 18, 2011 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Gayle Swift, Difficult Discussions, Foster Parenting, General Discussion, Strengthening Family Relationships

Weaving family relationships with a child who has experienced trauma requires a well-stocked parenting toolbox. Unlike Dominoes which always fall in predictable directions when nudged, children sometimes respond to a technique and sometimes they do not. A successful...

Gremlins

by Gayle Swift | Jul 17, 2011 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Gayle Swift, Difficult Discussions, Foster Parenting, General Discussion, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors, Strengthening Family Relationships

As an adult, a nasty little gremlin occasionally lurks in my mind’s ear. Usually, I can activate my mute button and silence the negativity–but not always. This inner voice sabotages efforts, magnifies doubts, inflates faults and rehashes mistakes. This gremlin...