Chinese New Year (aka Lunar New Year) takes place this year on February 16, 2018, the year of the dog. Like most of you, our family is most accustomed to ringing in the new year on January 1, but the Chinese New Year dates vary because of the lunar calendar. Chinese New Year is a […]
The planners amongst us have started to think about filing taxes and are asking questions about the Adoption Tax Credit for 2017. The information in this blog is for your 2017 taxes, which are filed by April 15, 2018. Amount of the Adoption Tax Credit for 2017 The IRS has adjusted the Adoption Tax Credit […]
When you first start thinking about adoption, most people face a mixture of emotions–excitement, confusion, and fear. And one of the most fearful parts of adoption is the adoption home study. One of the best antidotes for fear is information. Starting on your adoption home study may seem overwhelming! It’s common to think that you […]
“The most wonderful time of the year” is here, whether we are ready for it or not. For many of our kids from hard places, all that wonderful-ness can also represent big changes in routines, in familiar foods, with clothing, and noise. Some of those changes are enough to trigger melt-downs of epic proportions for […]
Every year right about this time, children everywhere are going back to school. The lines at Walmart are long and shopping carts are full of brand new box of crayons and brightly colored spiral bound notebooks. As thoughts turn to school, parents of adopted kids often wonder if they need to do anything extra to make […]
Over the last 15 years, I have learned (usually the hard way) that parenting tweens and teens requires a particular set of skills and perspective that don’t just naturally develop in pace with my kids’ developing identities or maturing bodies. I had to go after those skills myself, seeking counsel and learning more about teen […]
Top 5 Books You Must Read When Adopting from International Adoption or Foster Care 1. The Connected Child: Bring Hope and Healing to Your Adoptive Family by Dr. Karyn Purvis The hands-down winner in our survey of best book to read if you are adopting from foster care or through international adoption was The Connected […]
Talking with tweens and teens about adoption is especially challenging because often they want to be in charge of the discussion…as they should be. But as parents we need to keep talking. Here are some tips to make this easier: Tips for Talking with Tweens & Teens About Adoption Even if your child does not […]
Adopting a child is one of the most exciting, scary, exhilarating, and nerve wracking times in your life. This true for all types of adoption, but especially true when you adopt a child or children past infancy from either foster care or international adoption. In addition to all the typical new parent concerns (how will […]
Summer vacation is right around the corner for most of us. Plans for family vacations, lounging pool side, and hitting the amusement parks are fun to anticipate together as a family, but the change from a regimented school-year routine to the less-structured schedule of summer break can be quite overwhelming and unsettling for many adopted […]
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