by GIFT Coach | Mar 28, 2013 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, Blogs by Joann DiStefano, Difficult Discussions, Faith and Values, Strengthening Family Relationships
During this past month we’ve explored the way walls function in our lives to protect and defend us. It is important for us to know when to open these defenses and especially vital to teach our children these same skills. When we are in a moment of confrontation,...
by Sally A | Mar 20, 2013 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors, Strengthening Family Relationships
The unsettling behaviors of our traumatized children can trigger our own traumas and beliefs. We unconsciously activate our defense systems and shelter behind our walls. This may cause us to second guess our ability to parent. Perhaps, we may even respond with...
by susand | Sep 23, 2011 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Susan David, Foster Parenting, General Discussion, Strengthening Family Relationships
Being a parent is a huge undertaking. Dah! “Tell me something I don’t know!” is perhaps what you are thinking! And, another revelation, sometimes being a teen is a difficult task! I am reminded of a cartoon that I saw recently while flipping through...
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...
by Sally A | Jul 24, 2011 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Sally Ankerfelt, Foster Parenting, General Discussion, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors, Strengthening Family Relationships
Not long ago, I returned from work to find my soon-to-be 20 year-old daughter frantically washing her clothes. Just that morning, she had called to announce that she was heading back to the birth family and town she left behind eight short years earlier when she...
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...
