by GIFT Coach | Jan 8, 2014 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, Blogs by Joann DiStefano, General Discussion
#adoptiveparenting In recent days, weather dominated the headlines. Freezing temperatures stranded travelers and left many struggling to get home. Tempers flared. Relationships were stressed. It can distress kids when a traveling parent is unexpectedly delayed. Some...
by GIFT Coach | Dec 11, 2013 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, Blogs by Joann DiStefano, Foster Care Adoption, General Discussion, Strengthening Family Relationships, The Adoption Process
Ovarian cancer at fifteen claimed my fertility and heaved me onto an unexpected path. My adolescent self assumed survival. (Although the statistics suggested otherwise.) My gut seized on the awareness that pregnancy would never be possible. That realization nearly...
by GIFT Coach | Dec 5, 2013 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Gayle Swift, Blogs by Joann DiStefano, Faith and Values, General Discussion, Infant Adoption, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors, Strengthening Family Relationships
At GIFT Family Services, we constantly look for ways to help families connect and create positive relationships and moments of togetherness that build healthy bonding in a family. A Facebook video posted by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University...
by GIFT Coach | Oct 30, 2013 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, Blogs by Joann DiStefano, Difficult Discussions, Faith and Values, General Discussion, Strengthening Family Relationships
When we brought home our adopted child, dreams of a wonderful life filled our hearts. In the distant recesses of our minds, however, some fears may have lingered. Fears that our child may not attach and accept us. Fears that our child might repeat some of the mistakes...
by GIFT Coach | Oct 23, 2013 | Blogs by Joann DiStefano, Faith and Values, General Discussion, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors, Strengthening Family Relationships
As adoptive parents observe a warm relationship between their child and his birth parents, complicated emotions may arise. Along with joy, a subtle uneasiness, envy, or sense of competition may occur. Birth parents too, may experience similarly conflicted feelings....
by GIFT Coach | Oct 17, 2013 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Gayle Swift, Blogs by Joann DiStefano, General Discussion, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors
Before your child joined your family and you and your child’s birth parents chose Open Adoption, it probably seemed fairly simple. You developed a plan that suited your child and both sets of parents. The reality of Open Adoptions, however, often becomes more...
