“A, B, C, D, E, F, G” he says…and then there is a hesitation as he draws an H in the air.

“H”, I tell him.

“OK, Mama, H…H san”, he tells me with the number 3 spoken in Chinese with a giggle.

“Awww….hit and sunk!” I say, which causes him to giggle even more.

This was the conversation at my dining room table last night as I played Battleship with Caleb, my son who has only been home here from China for two weeks. He knows how to count to ten in English, but is teaching me how to count to ten in Mandarin.... more

Continue from easing language barriers part 6

We purchased a picture dictionary in China for Caleb to use because Jeff liked that it was in alphabetical order. The only problem was, it was in alphabetical order only in English. This will be great when Caleb knows more English and needs to look up a word, but right now, it is almost impossible for him to use unless he hunts through the pictures to find... more

Another tool that you can use to communicate with your newly adopted child is a pocket dictionary or translator. Again, this would require literacy on the part of your child, so if they are not yet literate in their native tongue, a picture dictionary would be a better choice. I will discuss both options here.

We were told by many families on a Yahoo group I belong to for older adopted children that a pocket translator or dictionary was a tool that saved the day for many of them. It works similar to the translator on the internet... more

continued from part 4

When I was a child many moons ago, one of my favorite songs was written by Joe Raposo, but sung and made famous by the Carpenters. Part of it went like this:

Sing, sing a song Sing out loud Sing out strong Sing of good things, not bad Sing of happy, not sad.

Sing, sing a song Make it simple To last your whole life... more

Continued from part 3

If you can’t find someone locally, perhaps you can find someone who can at least help over the telephone. Even though I have 3 local contacts who can help me communicate with Caleb, if I can’t get ahold of one, I also have the cell phone numbers of two people who live out of state who are willing to translate over the phone. It isn’t as good as in person, but it works in a pinch. Often those kinds of contacts come via word of mouth. Others hear you are adopting from another country and may say, “Oh I have a friend in another state who lived there for a few years”... more

continued from part 2

The next tool mentioned that our family uses for communicating with Caleb is to use the internet for translating simple phrases. This of course will only be useful if you have adopted a child who knows how to read and write her native tongue. Knowing that many words have multiple meanings, you need to keep the sentences simple and try to use words that don't have multiple meanings. For example, if you typed "plane"... more

Continued from part 1

The first tool that I mentioned in our family's top ten for facilitating communication is to gesture, gesture, gesture, or learn some basic sign language.

Think of the game Charades. It works because people are willing to gesture and act out their point.

When Ben came home, he had no functional language to speak of. He only had 3 gestures that the staff in his orphanage used to communicate with him.... more

I would like to share the top 10 tools we have used in our home for reducing the language barrier when we adopted children who did not speak English. Just as a hammer may not work in a situation where you need a screwdriver, if one of the tools below doesn't work for you, don't be afraid to try another.

Use plenty of gestures and learn some basic sign language. Learn key phrases such as "Are you hungry?" or "I love you" in your child's native tongue. ... more

Continued from part 1

I actually stand in awe that this little guy doesn't have more of them. He is in a strange country with a family who all speak a different language. He is assaulted with smells he is not used to and foods he may not enjoy. We do our best to give him comfort foods he is used to, as well as books written in Chinese and movies and CD's in Chinese, but it doesn't change the fact that he knows he is here forever, and probably has very mixed emotions about it.

Right now, our biggest issue is language and communication. Since we all use sign language, we have tried to ease his transition to... more

Caleb spent 45 minutes today under his bed...as close to the wall as he could get...screaming his head off. Before you call Child Protective Services, no, I don't put my child under the bed for a time-out. Under the bed is where he times himself out, and as it is safe and secure for him, that is where I let him stay until he is ready to come out.

When we were in China, I became emotionally exhausted with new sights, smells and sounds...and I knew I only had to endure the "differentness" for two weeks. Sure, there were and are parts about China that I love, such as the amazing history and culture and friendliness of the people. I find the ancient architecture and calligraphy... more