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 | Sep 27, 2016 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, General Discussion
One of the most demeaning questions thrown at adoptees and their families centers on the concept of REAL. Do you know your REAL parents? Do you have any REAL brothers or sisters? In addition to your adopted children, do you have any REAL ones? These questions strike...
by GIFT Coach | Jan 20, 2016 | Blogs by Gayle Swift, community, Difficult Discussions, General Discussion, International Adoption, Strengthening Family Relationships
Adoptees tell us that they frequently feel like they don’t quite fit in either their adoptive or birth families. This is not to say that they don’t feel attached, loved and welcomed. Rather it speaks to their challenge of living with the influences of...
by gayles | Mar 21, 2011 | Adoptive Parenting Skills/Tool, Blogs by Gayle Swift, Strengthening Family Relationships
“You are Not My Real Mother!” I imagine every adoptive parent dreads hearing these words being spoken by their beloved adopted child. My daughter is now 23 years old. When she screamed that dreaded sentence, she was 9–frustrated and very angry. Her words...
