by GIFT Coach | Oct 26, 2016 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, General Discussion, Strengthening Family Relationships
As we discussed in a recent blog, adoptive families are often questioned in one way or another about who the “REAL” relationship figures are in their lives. These questions land like a sucker punch to the chest. Sometimes we can quickly recenter ourselves...
by GIFT Coach | Oct 4, 2016 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, General Discussion, Strengthening Family Relationships
Multiple points of view can be true at the same time! Adoption proves this fact every day. We experience this reality in deep, visceral ways. Case in point: adoptive parents celebrate their child’s arrival. Birth parents grieve their loss. Children experience a...
by GIFT Coach | Aug 3, 2016 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, Empathy, Faith and Values, General Discussion, Intentional Parenting, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors, Strengthening Family Relationships
Americans value success. We believe our land of opportunity rewards hard work and determination. Last week we discussed Dr. Michele Borba’s excellent book, Unselfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World. Dr. Borba asked us to consider that we...
by GIFT Coach | Jul 13, 2016 | Adoption-attunement, Blogs by Gayle Swift, General Discussion, Strengthening Family Relationships
Our recent posts focused on communication, deep listening, and respect. These are foundational values for Intentional Families. In this blog, we also frequently discuss the intrinsic connection adopted families have to Diversity. Our families are rooted in difference....
by GIFT Coach | Jul 6, 2016 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, Faith and Values, General Discussion, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors, Strengthening Family Relationships
Authentic listening is one of the most essential communication skills and one of the hardest to master. Often, we listen with an ear to refute or rebut what the speaker says. This is especially common when we listen to our kids. We seek ways to convince them of the...
by GIFT Coach | Jun 22, 2016 | General Discussion, Strengthening Family Relationships
In our previous post we examined how to repair breaches in our relationships. Families who regularly practice this skill improve the quality of their relationships. One obvious point that cannot be overstated: Begin and end with connection. This is the conduit to...
