by GIFT Coach | Aug 31, 2016 | Relationships in adoption, The Adoption Triad
Adopted: looking the part and living the part of adopted person or adopted family, is something most of us had no idea we’d be doing. How can we best prepare? Develop a High AQ* (Adoption-attunement quotient.) Release pre-conceived notions about adoption and...
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 | May 19, 2016 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, General Discussion, Strengthening Family Relationships, suicide
In adoption, great joy and many blessings coexist with grief, sadness, curiosity, regret and other complicated but very real and profound emotions. We’ve focused several recent blogs on proactively establishing an adoption-attuned safety net for our children....
by GIFT Coach | Mar 30, 2016 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, General Discussion
Did you know that March 29 is National Smoke and Mirrors Day? Smoke and mirrors is a familiar expression to describe the distraction techniques used by magicians as they try to entertain with their illusions. The audience enjoys the deception even while they struggle...
by GIFT Coach | Jan 27, 2016 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Gayle Swift, Difficult Discussions, General Discussion
Let’s face it, as adoptive families we frequently must field intrusive/offensive questions about our family, children and adoption. What Do I Say Now? by Carol Bick and M. C. Baker, illustrated by Sophie Meyer helps us address this issue. The book uses a...
