by GIFT Coach | Jun 25, 2014 | Adoptee experience
Adoption is, at its essence, about creating loving bonds built by intention instead of biology. Often we refer to ourselves as Forever Families. This phrase intends to reassure adoptees that they’ve landed in a safe harbor where they can expect and depend on a...
by GIFT Coach | May 21, 2014 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Faith and Values, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors, Strengthening Family Relationships
Remember when we were kids and we craved our parent’s attention? We’d call their names and plead for them to watch whatever we were doing: a cartwheel, an energetic dance or, perhaps leaping high into the air. It was as if, our actions lacked value until...
by GIFT Coach | Apr 16, 2014 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Faith and Values, Post Adoption Challenges & Behaviors, Strengthening Family Relationships
Intentional Families recognize the importance of having fun as a family. Creating special family holiday traditions is a great way to accomplish this. Whether the event is religious like Passover and Easter, or secular, holidays are important events in a...
by GIFT Coach | Apr 3, 2014 | General Discussion, Relationships in adoption
April Fool’s Day. Practical jokes marked the day and made us think of the importance of laughter. This is especially important for families whose kids had tough starts and who wrestle to manage their behaviors. Too often parents fall into ruts of endless...
by GIFT Coach | Mar 19, 2014 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool
Adoption is complicated and unless parents are adoptees, we can never completely understand the experience. Love and positive intentions will carry us far but we must rely on our children to speak the truth of their world. We must set a context where our kids feel...