f e a t u r e d
writing streak check-in
January Check-In How did you do for your January Writing Streak? One of the... read more
# j u s t w r i t e
write with wondersense
On the first Monday of every month, I’ll be offering a free exercise for... read more
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adoption grief
I recently received lovely news from an old friend from California: She adopted a toddler from foster care. She was concerned though about her daughter’s grief—her new little girl missed her former foster mother so much, her grief was as …
fighting burnout
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2c/Stress.jpg
I often have these internal conversations with different aspects of myself. Recently, it was a three-way between SunshineBreath, BurntOutMama, and MeanMom. Perhaps I should introduce you first.
the fishbowl
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Fish_bowl2.jpg/300px-Fish_bowl2.jpg
Being a foster parent puts you in the spotlight. Everybody knows you’re a foster parent. The community scrutinizes your every move. They analyze every word out of your child’s mouth. As our social worker described to us, it’s like living …
the power of names
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/United_States_long_form_birth_certificate.gif/300px-United_States_long_form_birth_certificate.gif
Names have power. Think Rumpelstiltskin. Think YHWH. Think Cats. On my hospital birth certificate, I am “Infant Female Jennings.” In a letter to the US Consular, I am “LeeAnn Ruth Jennings.” On my naturalization certificate, I am “Kimberly Ann Whelan.” …
routines
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/c/cc/PTSD_stress_brain.gif/300px-PTSD_stress_brain.gif
Many foster children experienced various degrees of abuse, trauma, or neglect (and any combination of the three) in their early lives. What we know now, that we didn’t know so well ten, twenty, thirty years ago, is how early …
Posted in adoption
Tagged chores, muscle memory, neglect, routines, training time, trauma, words
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we can be heroes
You can make a difference. You, right there, yes — you. You don’t have to be rich. You don’t have to be a certain age. You don’t have to be married. You don’t have to be a saint. You don’t …
