Growing Intentional Families Together Blog
Read our blog to find out the latest on adoption.
Fathers Matter
The importance of fathers is no small thing. It is from their fathers that our sons learn how to be good, loving men of character and courage. Our daughters’ relationships with their dads teach them how to recognize good men as possible partners, colleagues, and friends. When children lack the presence of a loving involved father, it leaves a deficit in their emotional experiences. That absence matters.
Making Family Memories
Bring joy into your family life. Get outdoors! It benefits body & spirit. Create memories. Share simple, fun activities. Do something silly! Grow connection.
Ways Your Family Can Live Easier This Summer
While our coaches are busy creating some exciting new ways to support adoptees, adoptive...
On Mothers and Mothering
Mother’s Day is the defining event of the month. So, for those of us connected by adoption, May is a month fraught with emotions. Social media, television, and advertisements overflow with mentions of Mother’s Day and mothers. However, for us motherhood is steeped in ambiguity. For some, Mother’s Day evokes joy, pride, and pleasure. For others, it awakens grief, heartache, regret, and sometimes, despair.
Find Calm in the Midst of Chaos
Parents and children are feeling the weight of many scary issues. School shootings. Droughts. Floods. Deadly viruses. Extreme political discord, etc. This can discourage even the most positive-minded folks leaving them feeling powerless and overwhelmed. Finding a way to respond with action grounds us and eases hopelessness. Parents can help families find calm in the midst of chaos. Choose action over worry. Practice relationship repair. Model a willingness to learn & risk failure.
Recipe for a Happy Family
As the yeasty scent of homemade bread baking in my oven filled my kitchen the other day, I had a thought....
Perspective on Gift-giving for Adoptive Families
What unique factors complicate the art of gift-giving and its connection to relationship building within the context...
Celebrate Family Wins: Start the Year on a Positive Note
Celebrate your family wins & start the year on a positive note. Note & affirm incremental progress. Encourage & affirm more than you criticize & evaluate. Make 2023 a year in which you allow yourself and your children grace, to try, to fail, and appreciate the lessons learned along the way.
Create A Memorable Holiday: Focus on Strengthening Connection
For many folks, December is a month in which they think deeply about peace, goodwill, and family togetherness. Whether...
Five Goals for Growing Your Perspective of Adoption
n acknowledgment that November is National Adoption Awareness Month, we challenge you to GROW your perspective of adoption. We invite you to move beyond seeing adoption as a “blessing” or “miracle” to embrace the more complicated reality. Help build a more nuanced conversation about adoption one that acknowledges the bitter and the sweet, the losses and the gains, the heartache and the joy. Here are several GROW suggestions to which you might commit. If you prefer, please create some of your own.
