Gayle H. Swift's Blog, page 17

12 Benefits of an Adoption Lifebook

A lifebook says, “Your story begins before adoption and because we love you, we value the history of your life from the beginning. We do not expect or require you to wipe the slate clean in order to embrace our joint life.”

10 Great Things about Story Time: Beyond the Simple Page Turn

Books open a window onto a wider world. This allows children to learn how other kids think about and handle their adoption. This introduces them to their adoptive peer group which helps them understand they are not the only one in the adoption "boat." They also discover that adoption, like families can take many shapes and look quite varied.

Authors Support National Adoption Month

t is appropriate that we celebrate National Adoption Month during this season of Thanksgiving. As parents, we have been entrusted with the privilege to raise children born to other women. We love and nurture them with an awareness that our greatest joy: their presence in our families--began in significant loss for them. This year while giving thanks for your many blessings, remember the birth parents who made such a commitment of faith in us. Continue your education as high AQ--Adoption-attuned--families. Deepen your understanding of the unique needs that adoption creates in a family. Live and love with an eye to the joy of the present moment and a heart filled with empathy, kindness and respect. Books offer a great resource to adoptive families for strategies, a sense of community or a great read for the children. These authors write about the journey that is adoption and as a National Adoption Month Special, the kindle versions will be available for $.99

And Tango Makes Three in a Family That Is Not Like Others

And Tango Makes Three is a charming book that presents a sweet story of "family as different" but still very much a family. On the flyleaf of the book is this quote: "In the zoo there are all kinds of animal families. But Tango's family is not like any of the others."

“Forever Fingerprints”–A Legacy

The wonderful adoption classic, Forever Fingerprints by Sherrie Eldridge is being reissued by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. An adoptee and a staunch advocate for adoptive families writes, who LIVES the adoption journey, Sherrie connects with adoptees’ hearts and validates their experience. Forever Fingerprints, a picture...

Kids and Adults Face the Power to Choose–A conversation and a Book Review

Children enjoy being able to decide things for themselves. As parents we often make the bulk of the decisions in our children's lives. Most of us understand that decision making is a skill. Like all skills, mastery only comes through practice. Long before kids become proficient decision makers, they will plod through many errors in judgment. As parents, we face a learning curve too--when is it "safe" for kids to make a choice and when must the decision fall on our shoulders?

Why Adoptive Families Should Read “Bullied” by Carrie Goldman

Adoptive families are well aware of the differences that separate us from traditionally formed families. We have experienced the prejudice, the askance looks and the intrusive questions which all broadcast a "lesser than" message and to some extent, have felt bullied by such narrow thinking. We have a vested interest in expanding tolerance, empathy, kindness and the concept of "acceptability."

“The Invisible Boy” — A Child Finds Acceptance and Friendship

I absolutely love this story! Invisible Boy is about a young boy who doesn’t get noticed at school and feels “invisible” by his teacher and peers. Whenever the students pick teams, he is never picked, and often left out because he...

“A Place in My Heart” — an Adoption Truth

 As an adoptive parent and now as an adoption coach, I search for books that support adopted children and help them learn how adoption influences their lives. Many books have been written on the subject. How does a family identify the...