by GIFT Coach | Jul 20, 2012 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Susan David, Foster Parenting, General Discussion, Strengthening Family Relationships
Ever been at a car wash for one cause or another with a group of teens? Soapy water, suds, and slippery pavement combined with energetic, spontaneous and very excited teens, and then add every so often a moving vehicle rolling into that picture! YIKES! What I noticed,...
by GIFT Coach | Jul 12, 2012 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Joann DiStefano, General Discussion, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors, Strengthening Family Relationships
When I went to the dictionary to look up the word addict, the definition that most resonated with me was from the Franklin Language Master. It defined addict as “one who devotes or surrenders oneself to something habitual or excessive”. From this definition, one might...
by GIFT Coach | Jun 12, 2012 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Guests, Difficult Discussions, General Discussion, School & IEP Support
Our guest blogger is Christina White. Christina is a survivor of a traumatic childhood in which she was subjected to persistent and pervasive abuse. She was hidden from her father and he died before she could reconnect with him. Eventually, she was raised by an uncle....
by GIFT Coach | Mar 12, 2012 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Gayle Swift
I was speaking with an adoptee in his late twenties. He has a healthy relationship with his adoptive parents. Since his eighteenth birthday, he has been cultivating a warm and reassuring relationship with his birth-mother. In his conversations with her, he is able to...
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...
by joannd | Feb 3, 2012 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Joann DiStefano, General Discussion
While adoption can be built on seemingly a strong foundation – with parents who outwardly appear secure in their relationship and successful in their life – the inner structure may have some hidden issues that will need to be addressed. Like a house, the...
