by Gayle Swift | Nov 15, 2017 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, General Discussion, Strengthening Family Relationships
Back in April, I blogged about a letter that a now-adult adoptee had penned to her birth mother when she was ten years old. The poignant, heart-breaking note was also an example of a very common mindset of young adoptees in closed adoptions. I received another,...
by Gayle Swift | May 10, 2017 | Adoption realities, Adoptive parenting, Blogs by Gayle Swift
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day focus attention on the importance of our job as parents. To our children, we are the life raft in which they find security, love, affirmation, and shared history. We educate, coach, and counsel. We serve as confidants and...
by Gayle Swift | Apr 19, 2017 | Adoptee experience, Adoption Attuned Parenting, Reunioin
We shared the recent Easter weekend with my son’s birth mother and grandmother. How apropos it seemed to be celebrating this holiday which focuses on resurrection and new life. After living a closed adoption for twenty years, twelve years ago my son and his...
by Gayle Swift | Apr 5, 2017 | Adoption Attunement
Recently, an adult adoptee shared with me a letter that she wrote when she was ten years old. It reflects directly on our recent blog regarding the need to listen deeply to adoptees and affirm both the positive and the challenging impact that adoption imposes on their...
by Gayle Swift | Feb 15, 2017 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, General Discussion, Open communication
Adoption matters; Talk about it! For far too many years adoption was buried under layers of secrecy. People considered it a sensitive subject. Off limits. Some parents kept adoptees in the dark. Families mentioned it only in whispers. Adoptees absorbed the subtle...