Are your teenagers struggling with Acne? It is one of those horrors of the teenage years. If your child is also dealing with adoption issues, fitting in, finding their place in the world, acne can seem like the end of a social life. You want to help, you offer kind words, and you dutifully look for a product that will clear the acne. There are so many to choose from, how can you know which ones will actually work? Are they all the same? If they are different, then what ingredients should you look for?

Sebaceous glands are connected to the hair follicles. The job of... more

“Who is your favorite kid, Mom?” “Am I your favorite?” “He is your favorite, that’s why you let him have one of your sodas, right?” “Why do you like my brother best?” “You like the girls better than the boys, don’t you?” “The baby is your favorite isn’t she?” Which version of this question have you heard? If you are parenting several children from various backgrounds then you have probably heard them all, just as I have. For a few years, I tried to argue. I tried to tell the questioning child that I loved them all equally. Eventually, after years of being worn down, I just started... more

We send the children off to school in jackets because it is chilly in the morning when the get on the bus. Towards afternoon, the weather begins to warm up. The Children are likely to toss off their jackets into a pile on the ground. At the end of recess, they will probably retrieve them. If just one of the children who tossed a jacket into that pile happened to have head lice then the lice probably jumped onto all of the other jackets. This pile of cloth is the perfect playground for those little biting opportunists to spread. The children will probably slip... more

Many years ago, a darling sibling group was placed in our home by the Department of Human Services. The sisters were seven and 13 when they arrived. Honestly, they couldn’t have been any cuter. The seven-year-old child had always been treated much younger than her chronological age by her birth family because of her special needs. Therefore, she still enjoyed snuggling, hugging, and kisses, which was nice. She also always wanted to take drinks out of my cup even though the only thing in it was green tea or water. I have gotten used to this over the years since nearly every toddler... more

When Dani came to our home as a foster child over three years ago, she noticed that one of the older children had braces. Eventually, he had his taken off revealing a perfectly aligned smile. A few months later, the next child had his braces put on his teeth. Two years later, his braces came off revealing his beautiful and perfect smile. The whole time, Dani dreamed of having braces on her teeth so she could have a smile like theirs. At one point, she nearly returned to her birth family, which would have made her dream of braces impossible because of the cost. In... more

I actually like having pets and we have a house cat. Unfortunately, here I am once again blogging against them. I previously blogged about cat dander causing asthma attacks. However, over the years of providing foster care, I have found that traumatized children usually bond with animals rather quickly. I have seen children show affection to family pets who are not able to show affection to another person. Now in the news, a house cat was discovered to... more

British researchers are saying that fifty percent of a person’s sense of well-being comes from inherited personality traits. If you adopted a child with just the right genetic mix then that child’s happiness could almost be assured. Researchers found that they needed to understand personality in order to understand happiness. The personality genes, those that allow a person to be extroverted, emotionally stable, and conscientious are responsible for half of a person’s long-term happiness. Researchers further elaborated that being outgoing, calm, and reliable provide an affective... more

A child who is overweight weighs too much. A child who is obese has too much body fat. In both cases, the child’s weight exceeds the healthy range for his or her height. It isn’t always immediately obvious if a child is overweight or obese because children grow at different rates. If you take your child for regular physicals then your pediatrician probably charts your child’s height to weight ratio. You can ask your doctor if your child’s weight... more

Stubbornness must be a hereditary trait because I see my adopted daughters setting their jaw exactly like their birthparents and grandparents. One of the advantages of an open adoption is realizing your daughters’ come by some traits quite honestly. Hopefully, that helps us parents not to take it personally. I thought my daughter, who is now an adult, was stubborn growing up until I met my recently adopted 10-year-old daughter. She continues to give grief over schoolwork. Last year I thought she was purposely not doing schoolwork because she wanted to be homeschooled... more

Shea likes to drive himself to church service so he can hang out with his teenage friends and this day was no exception. He really isn’t too bad of a driver for just being 18, but he does have ADHD, dyslexia, and those raging hormones that are common in a teenage boy. Honestly, I was a little surprised that our church didn’t cancel morning services.

You may have heard about our recent winter storms here in Michigan. The snow covering the roads and trees is truly lovely, until you have to drive through it. With temperatures hovering around 0 degrees Fahrenheit... more