Carol Monaco
Posted in Attachment, Our Voices, Parenting Traumatized Children, Therapeutic Parenting, Trauma
A new season is upon us. The glow from the dawn of the new year is on the wane. For some of us, it is in the company of the resolutions to which we swore our allegiance before we climbed into bed at 9:30 on December 31 – satisfied that 2019 would arrive whether or not we were there to meet it.
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Hilary Jacobs Hendel
Posted in Our Voices
From the blog manager
Many of us raising children affected by early trauma and attachment disorders know holiday stress all too well. Even the most well-meaning relatives can inflict additional pain, sometimes because they simply do not understand, other times because they cannot help but judge. Our decisions, our families,
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A couple days before Christmas, I make spaghetti sauce. On Christmas afternoon, I move the pot of sauce from our refrigerator to the range and warm it while preparing pasta from a blue box. Matt slices grocery store bread.
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Lynn Sollitto
Posted in Attachment, Our Voices, Parenting Traumatized Children
A few years ago, my parents flew out from Wisconsin to visit for Christmas. Because they only make it out to California to see us twice a year, and we make it to Wisconsin to visit them even less, it was a pretty big deal.
Holidays were hard
When we adopted our daughter through foster care eight years ago,
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Relationships or things?
Which one are you focusing upon this holiday season?
To be honest, my family’s first Christmas 20 years ago was over-stimulating. An emotional roller coaster. My six adopted children unwrapped one gift after another – many from people they hardly knew.
The following morning,
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Hilary Jacobs Hendel
Posted in Our Voices
The problem? Thanksgiving didn’t feel the same
Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I have a relatively small family and since I wasn’t raised with religion, Thanksgiving was the main holiday where everyone all came together for a festive meal. This gave me a sense of family deep in my heart.
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Sara Borgstede
Posted in Our Voices, Parenting Traumatized Children, Therapies
For over a year now, my son has been living in a residential treatment facility.
One year of not being together for birthdays, Christmas, or Mother’s Day.
One year of visits.
One year of wondering what will happen next.
One year of prayers.
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Hilary Jacobs Hendel
Posted in Parenting Traumatized Children, Trauma
Being a mother is the hardest job in the world when things go smoothly. When you have a child who suffers symptoms of trauma, the hardest job becomes exponentially harder. At my worst moments, when I despaired and felt like I could not go on, I was grateful for the education in emotions that I received in my training to become a trauma therapist.
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Lorraine Fuller
Posted in Parenting Traumatized Children
–by Lorraine Fuller
So, you survived Christmas! Yay! I am happy for you. I don’t know how much chocolate, or bread, or caffeine, or alcohol it took, but you survived. Soon the kids will be back to school. So let’s take a moment, even if you don’t want to hear it,
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Laura Dennis
Posted in Our Voices, Trauma
–by Laura Dennis [NOTE: this post references this author’s faith as an aspect of her own experience. It is not meant in any way to proselytize, nor does it represent the beliefs of everyone at ATN.]
I was crying.
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