Those Adoption Books

picture of books with "adoption books: are they working?" written on it

For years, I felt frustrated by parents and therapists suggesting I just read fill-in-the-blank  adoption books by fill-in-the-blank authors. I’d already read all of those parenting books. I’d highlighted them and made notes in the margins.

But the well-worn copies on my bookshelf didn’t seem to help. Sometimes the most worthy book suggestions even seemed to hurt our family.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

lion lying down and roaring

–by Carol Monaco Last night, my 8-year-old son would not go to bed. He wanted to stay up and he wanted us to stay up too. He had a list […]

Expectation vs. Reality

Mother holding child on beach in sunset

Have you seen those funny memes that use photos to demonstrate the difference between how we might expect an activity or career to look and the reality? I have laughed […]

Surprised by Attachment: Time

picture of roman numeral pocket watch in sand

–by Nicole Pritchard [originally published on the author’s own blog, Coffee-Colored Sofa on March 2, 2017]   This forms part of a series called “Surprised by Attachment.” This subject became a […]

Christmas Spaghetti

bowl of spaghetti with Christmas Spaghetti written above it

Dinner is served 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 […]

The Greatest Christmas Gift

Plate of sugar cookies in the shape of stars and candy canes

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 […]

Christmas Reinvented: The 12 Days of Connection

three young men with Target ad and "family is everything" sign

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 […]

A New Phase, Part II: Moving On

red dolly with cardboard boxes

Last week on the blog, I told you a little about what life was like with my son with complex early trauma. I talked about the lying, the stealing, the […]