From Unique Issues and Talking with Your Child to Dealing with Holidays
By Carrie Craft, About.com Guide to Adoption / Foster Care
Tips and advice for adoptive and foster parents including talking with your child about adoption, childhood grief and loss issues, and other unique situations that occur within adoptive and foster families. These are issues that only other foster and adoptive parents can really understand. Here we will discuss them together. Life is always exciting and together we are living it!
- Talking With Your Adopted or Foster Child
- During the Holidays or Family Get-togethers
- When School Is Out
At Home
The first few days home with your new foster or adopted child are understandably the most hectic. So, try to be prepared ahead of time. While you can't guess what all of your child's and family's needs will be over time, let's work together to learn what has been done in other homes - successfully or unsuccessfully. I've discovered that I can learn from another parent's failures as well as their successes.
- Establishing Yourself as a Parent
- Preparing Your Children for a New Addition
- Top 10 Five Minute Bonding Activities
- Meeting Your New Foster Child
- Caring for Your African American or Biracial Child's Hair
- 10 Things to Do When Kids Fight
- 14 Ways to Focus on Culture
- 10 Surefire Ways to Destroy a Perfectly Good Marriage with Foster Care
- Busy Dads - 8 Ways to Make Time for Your Foster or Adopted Child
- All About Open Adoptions - Open Adoptions 101
At School
Many times I have had to be an advocate for my children at school. Other times I've needed to prepare my child to advocate for himself.
- 10 Things to Do Before Going Back-to-School
- Teaching Children How to Answer Questions
- Public vs. Private: Which School Choice Is Better for Your Child?
In the Community
Parenting at home is one thing, out in the real world is another. How do you handle rude comments or innocent questions regarding your family? How do you handle your child, or yourself?
- Teaching Foster/Adoptive Children How to Answer Questions
- When Foster Parents First Meet Birth Family
- Be Prepared to Participate and Work with Social Workers
Talking With Your Adopted or Foster Child
Many forum posts have been made regarding discussing adoption with a child. The toughest posts to answer are to those parents who have chosen to wait until a child is older to disclose their adoption. Not something I would recommend. So, how do we discuss the tough subjects?
- Steps to Understanding Grief and Loss in Children
- Talking to Foster & Adopted Kids About Bullies at School and in the Community
During the Holidays or Family Get-togethers
Parenting foster children can be a challenge at any time of the year, but holidays or family get-togethers seem to be extra stressful. There are a ton of parties to attend, gifts to buy and the financial strain can really bring a person down. So keep the joy in your family time, by being prepared.
- Before You Celebrate the Holidays with Your Foster Children
- Foster Children and Your Extended Family During the Holidays
- Halloween for First Time Foster/Adoptive Parents and Kids
- Preparing for the Fourth of July
When School Is Out
School break. Two words that strike fear in the hearts of parents everywhere. Don't despair. A break from one's normal routine can be a good thing. Really.
