We got back from church camp last evening. I wrote on my other blog about my stint as camp cook. I came home limp as linguini after all that work. But this is what I came home to.

Yes. Letters. SIX letters from our girls in Ethiopia. And five pictures. And a necklace. It was the most incredible thing to read the words they had written (with the help of a translator.) The excitement that they felt about having a family just seemed to burst off the page.

Our younger girl (age 9) said she's glad we live on a... more

"Liar, liar, pants on fire," goes the childhood chant.

If you've been a parent for any length of time, chances are you've caught your child in a lie or two. Experts say that lies told by two and three year olds usually aren't 'real' lies-- they're just wishful thinking. Your child wishes she could tell you that she picked up her blocks, and so she says she did, in hopes that saying so will make it true.

You have to judge your child's cognitive ability for yourself. I'm sure there's something to that 'wishful thinking' theory. But I've also seen preschoolers lie purposefully. Usually if a child is doing the latter, you will see uneasiness, whereas a child involved... more

Ethiopia is one of the countries where older children are available for adoption as well as infants. Adopting older children adds new challenges for the adoptive parent. For awhile it can also can make life more challenging for already-existing siblings in the adoptive family.

It is important to keep the lines of communication open with your existing kids, so that you can prepare them for possible challenges they may face, and to keep the relationship strong.

Kids in an adoptive family, due to the circumstances of the new child's adoption, may suddenly be aware that not all children are able to live with their birth parents until adulthood. They may need reassurance from... more

Yesterday I brought my 7 year old Korean son to the eye doctor. He's learning to read, and is getting better at it. But it's not easy for him, and the way he twists his head and squints at the page made me wonder if vision issues were making school more challenging than it should be.

So in we went to investigate. It was obvious from the first moments that my guess had been right. The optometrist had to make those letters darned big before my kiddo could read them easily.

The exam seemed to take quite awhile-- the doctor pronounced his eyes 'challenging'. As I waited, I remembered something... more

It is extremely normal for adopted kids to need to cycle thru their grief and their issues over and over again. There may be a lull of 6 months or a year where they don't ask any questions or mention their birth family.

Then they may think about it lots for several months, and ask lots of questions.   Whether or not your child sees it as an issue, it IS a part of his life.   I think the more open and accepting we as adoptive parents are, the more likely they are to always bring their feelings and concerns to us. 

They say that even kids who do not mention birthmom ARE thinking of her at times, so from time to time (a few times a year), even if my kids don't talk about it,... more