Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listen time 7:29 In our culture, we celebrate motherhood and moms. If you are a mother, On Mother's Day, your family may honor you with gifts. Whether these gifts are large or small, inexpensive or costly, handmade by little […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listen time 7:40 April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and is intended to prevent child abuse as well as raise awareness of it. Both are worthy goals. Growing Intentional Families Together supports them. So, what can we do […]

Bananas, Cacti, and Kids--What do they have in common? Stay with me and I will explain.  The old maxim that "April showers bring May flowers" helps us appreciate that certain ingredients must be present so a plant can flourish: water, air, sunlight, etc., AND that these needs vary by species. A cactus cannot survive in […]

Listen to this post. 8:45 "Parenting is the toughest job that you will ever love," my grandma who was the mother of 14 children, warned me.  I agree with her; Parenting has proved to be the hardest and the most joyful part of my life. Parenting is not for the faint-hearted, the cavalier, or the […]

You can listen to this post.  (3:41) Growing Intentional Families Together knows that Ukraine is the birth country of many adoptive children. Russia is also the homeland of many adoptees. The recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia may be felt very personally by these children. We see this with our clients. They feel deeply emotional […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listening Time: 6:02 At the heart of every conversation is a desire to connect with another person. It involves a speaker and a listener. Each is an essential component. Communication is an interactive loop of listening and speaking. Unlike […]

  Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listening time: 4:01 It's January. Perhaps you are considering a word or theme to use as inspiration for the year. But, instead of focusing on a catchy phrase, compelling image, or a list of resolutions, consider this question: […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listening time: 6:44 As we focus on being intentional this holiday season, let's remember that the greatest gift we can give our loved ones is our undivided, attentive presence. Kids delight in being seen by us. (Recall how often […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listen time 12:14 Given that the name of our coaching firm is Growing Intentional Families Together, we obviously believe in the value of intentionality. We define our particular "flavor" of intentionality as "Adoption Attunement. "We know parenting with intention […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listen time 4:55 Listen also to this blog about building enduring connections as a family. Every November our country observes National Adoption Awareness Month (NAAM) to raise awareness of the children in foster care who are awaiting adoption because […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listen time 5:42 I’m in the midst of a 30-day session wearing a heart monitor. It is minimally uncomfortable yet singularly dedicated to its purpose. Always operating. Never off duty. Never distracted. It periodically zings an alert or vibrates […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listening Time: 8:28   While waiting to become a parent, I spent some time ruminating on the way my own parents raised me. After I became a parent the challenges of parenting became real. I developed some empathy for […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listening time: 7:49 If you are an adopted parent, you have probably experienced many encounters with the unexpected. For most of us, the first “surprise” was infertility. We expected we would become pregnant fairly easily. But that is not […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listening time: 3:28 Being Cassandra: Sharing an Unwelcome Truth August 20, 2021 I have been an adoptive parent for 35 years. I have learned a great deal in these intervening years. One of my biggest shifts has been embracing […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listening time: 6:44 In the beginning, we dream of pregnancy and then discover it is unachievable. That dream ends. Still, we continue to dream and choose to focus on our core desire: parenthood. This leads us to consider adoption. […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listen time 5:23 This month we celebrate the “birthday” and independence of the United States. Many folks observe the Fourth of July as an extended family. Holidays become enmeshed with warm memories of the important people in our family, […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listen time 6:04 Father’s Day dominates our thoughts this month. Big Holidays like this are freighted with extra emotional baggage in the world of adoption. The importance of fathers tends to be underappreciated and be overshadowed by the intense […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listen time 6:04 The month of May, rich with burgeoning life after winter’s severity, brings motherhood to mind . The observance of an official holiday further nudges our awareness!  So, a question comes to mind: What does it mean […]

Feeling short of time or finding it difficult to concentrate? You can listen to this post. Listen time 5:32 Babies are the most determined learners. Their survival depends on their ability to learn. Even in the face of persistent failure, they pick themselves up and try again and again until they achieve mastery. Whether it […]