Keeping A Family Journal

Journaling as a family can be a therapuetic bonding experience and create a record of memories.   A journal captures the memories that could easily escape your mind. These memories are usually raw and can be passed down for generations through the family tree. The benefits of keeping a journal cannot be overemphasized, but they get more pronounced when it becomes a family project. Each member of the family has a unique perspective on life. A similar event will be recorded in multiple unique ways by each member of the family. The family journal will, therefore, cease to be a monotonous narrative through a single eye and become the combined efforts of all persons in the home. This adds beauty and multiple voices to the project. The Beauty of Family LifeA family is like an orchard made of beautiful fruits. Each member of the family has a different flavor that makes

Creating an open, healthy relationship between children and caregivers is vital, and there are some things that may get in the way of well intentioned parents.  No parent can claim to have cracked the code on how to raise children. We are all trying to do what is best for our young ones. Yet, mental and behavioral health challenges are at an all time high in America. Understanding a few of the pitfalls parents may fall into can help you guide your children while maintaining a positive relationship. Watch Your Parenting Style You can sometimes differentiate between democratic and dictatorial home settings by observing how the kids behave around the parents. Unfortunately, most caregivers don’t know the difference between authoritative parents and authoritarian parents. They want to be authoritative, but they end up being authoritarian. The latter method can lead to relationship challenges. Experts say that authoritarian parents leave no room

Helping foster and adoptive children develop reading skills as young as possible will set them up for future success.  For every child, adolescence is marked by constant growth and changes. Personality, emotions, mental aptitude, and interests all emerge and fluctuate. But even in the most favorable conditions, these changes can be challenging for the little ones.  Now imagine adding one other aspect to these changes by being placed under foster care. In the US alone, nearly half a million children enter foster care every year. Various studies have shown that foster children face a unique set of challenges in the learning environment. As a teacher or foster parent, it’s important to understand and learn the best practices and strategies to help these children achieve academic success and ease the stress that comes with the changes they’re going through.  One important skill a child needs to build up on, is writing.

Children are precious stewards of our future; caring for them and raising them to be healthy, well-adjusted adults should be our ultimate priority. In a world increasingly fraught with danger, tragedy, and uncertainty, it is more vital now than ever to equip our children with the social and emotional skills that they will need to navigate their world that is sure to be vastly different than ours.Whether you are a parent, a friend, an aunt, uncle, or grandparent, the responsibility lies with you to ensure that each child you come in contact with has the tools that they need to become successful, fully functioning adults. How can you take your precious time with these precious ones and use it in ways that enrich everyone involved? Here are some simple ways that you can foster their natural curiosity, innovation, and intelligence in ways that boost their self-esteem and increase their confidence

Over 23,000 children age out of foster care each year, but many struggle to adapt to independent living as an adult. As part of the Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008, 25 states now offer extended foster care, and help such as financial support for young adults in work or participating in education programs. This and other schemes go some way to helping them get a good start in their adult life, but a more personal touch is also very important. As a foster parent you will most likely already have faced many transitional phases with your foster children, and, at each stage, supported them to ensure a smooth changeover. Now, whether you have stayed in touch with former foster children who are becoming adults, or you are saying goodbye to your current foster child as they leave for college, your continuing help and advice is still invaluable.Graduating

So, you are considering adopting. You have probably already filed your adoption request, and you are waiting to be matched with a child. Perhaps your little one has arrived home, and you are trying to figure things out. Whichever stage you are in the adoption process, it is essential to learn everything you can. Luckily, there are plenty of reading materials regarding adoption that you can use to gather as much knowledge as you can. Here are some fantastic suggestions.Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee CurtisThis book remains a classic favorite of adoptive books of all times. Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born is an exciting story about a loving family and small child coming together to discuss the night she was born. The tone of this children’s book is fun and educational and is a great story to read with

The opioid epidemic is pushing more and more children into foster care, as their parents are unfit to care for them while they are bound tightly by the grips of addiction. Foster children who were born into a family with addicted parents have likely seen the unthinkable, have been forced to mature far too quickly, and have unique experiences that set them apart from other foster children. The Washington Post reports that nearly every state in the nation has seen a rise in the number of children being put into foster care directly related to opioid addiction as their parents are deemed unfit to care for their children. Perhaps the child you are fostering is an infant who was born addicted to opioids or they are an older child who has seen first hand the detrimental effects opioids can reap upon a family. Regardless of the circumstances, there are important

It may seem strange that children have to deal with phobias at such a tender age, but according to research, specific phobias already surface from age seven and social phobias from adolescence. There are many reasons for children to develop a phobia, whether it’s a rational fear of something or apparently irrational. Sometimes the fear might be due to a vulnerable situation, and sometimes the fear is picked up from the fears of others. Those who have a vulnerable background tend to display fears and anxieties, along with depression and other physical signs of their upbringing. For caregivers, dealing with these fears can feel somewhat challenging.  Understand The Difference Between Fears, Worries, and PhobiasIt’s perfectly normal for children to have slight worries or fears about certain things or events, however, when the reaction becomes severe and irrational, this is when it’s classified as anxiety. For children, anxiety can be disabling and to a certain degree, cause

Regardless of whether you are adopting a foster child currently under your care, or you are receiving an adoptive placement for a child that is staying in another foster home, the transition from fostering to adoption is tough. There are emotional, financial, and physical impacts. Here is an in-depth look at the process of transitioning from fostering to adoption. Explaining FosteringFoster care is a living arrangement for children who have been abused or neglected and need a safe place to live. Often times, their parents are unable to take care of them due to illness, homelessness, or substance abuse. Explaining AdoptionAdoption occurs when a child moves into a new home with a new family. The new parents becomes responsible for the child and assume the parental rights like the child’s biological parents. Starting The ProcessYou can start the process by choosing an adoption method. You can check with a public adoption agency. Check

Are you worried about your children’s learning skills like low concentration? Then try to motivate your child to learn because if they feel inspired, they will be interested in studying and make the best efforts to achieve their goals. At this age, a child is oblivious to the importance of learning and mostly interested in playing games. Instead of forcing them to study, make them understand the value of learning in their own way. Remember motivation is not only needed by weak or reluctant students, but by good learners when they feel demotivated due to any reason.The Learning Environment: The most impactful and inseparable part of learning is the environment. A right environment will effortlessly increase the will and focus of your child. This means no music, no TV, and no distraction from other family members. Keeping all the essentials set for studying before, so that your child can completely