We’re catapulting toward the end of the school year with all of its special activities, while also preparing for my dad’s memorial service and Noah’s graduation from medical school. I’m filled with emotions that don’t all seem to fit together. I’m so sad about losing my dad, and I’m dreading the wave of grief I […]
What Do We Do When Our Kids Have Big Feelings?
Have you heard the phrase, “choked with emotion,” as in, “She was choked with emotion.”? More commonly, have you ever gotten a lump in your throat? Last night I was overwhelmed with sadness over losing my dad. Russ held me close, but I began to feel like I couldn’t breathe. I sat up in bed, […]
5 Tips to Save Your Summer
Worry becomes anxiety, and anxiety becomes fear for some parents as summer approaches. It was a hard, sometimes desperate time for our family as we juggled many needs and severe dysregulation with our kids from “hard places.” I needed help, but my brain was too tired to figure it all out. Does this resonate with […]
Adoptive Families, You Need a Support Team
Some of us adopted children thinking we could handle it – all of it. We were competent people and even experienced parents, but it wasn’t long before Russ and I learned we couldn’t do it on our own. Parenting children with early trauma took more than we could give. We needed a team. It wasn’t […]
Walking Through the Hard
How do I step back into writing when it feels like so much has happened? My father passed away last Sunday. It still feels hard to believe. He had a pacemaker put in March 13th and was fine until April 1st when he collapsed. I got in the car and headed to Seattle an hour […]
How Does Adopting Impact Your Older Kids?
Do you ever worry about how adopting children with significant trauma histories is impacting your other children? I was feeling discouraged about one of the younger kids, my brain wearied by the challenge of parenting kids with challenges. I said something to one of my older sons about adoption being really hard on everyone. He […]
