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

I bought my first cell phone when I was 34 years old. Somehow, I managed to survive the teenage years, college days, and travel without a cell phone. Of course, now I don’t go anywhere without it. I feel completely lost if I accidentally leave it at home during a simple trip to the grocery store. When my teenagers start driving a car I make sure they own a cell phone and keep it with them. I feel much safer with them on the road knowing they have a cell phone with them. Whenever, my teenage sons go away for a weekend, I make sure they take their older brother’s cell phone... 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

Yes, there are many positives of being a large adoptive family. Unfortunately, this week I have been living through one of the negative attributes of a being a large adoptive family. I wrote about Rotavirus going through our family and affecting everyone a couple of weeks ago. This week, it has been the 48-hour flu bug. We kept our granddaughters Saturday night, knowing that earlier in the week, they had the flu. Apparently, they were still contagious. They are 12 months and two, Amigrace, our toddler, is 20 months. Being toddlers, they frequently sampled each other’s sippy cups,... more

Do you have a child who is a sleepwalker in your house? We do, and it can make life a little interesting for the whole family. It can also get your sleepwalking child into trouble. I forgot to mention to our sons’ hockey coach that one of them is a sleepwalker. The coach took the boys along with his own sons to a hotel for a weekend hockey tournament. It had been snowing and they didn’t want to drive back and forth late at night on icy roads. When they returned home, the coach complained to me about Lane walking around the room at 2am. Apparently, he was yelling, woke everyone... more

As a foster and adoptive parent for 14 years as well as a birth parent for 25 years, you might think that I have seen or heard it all. It is true that I do not shock or surprise easily and when a child tries to shock me, I usually reciprocate. Sometimes I help or go along with a joke. Thus, my children are likely to tell me or ask me just about anything. Yesterday, my 18-year-old son asked me to help him with a dare. His boss has resigned and today is the going away party. His boss is balding and some coworkers thought it would be funny if Shea cut his hair to look... more

Spring on the farm is so exciting for everyone but especially for newly adopted children not used to country living. Nothing is cuter than new babies frolicking in the hay field. They run, jump in the air, butt heads, and tease their mothers. It always amazes us how within an hour of being born the babies stand up; know where to find their mothers’ udders, and how to suckle. If a baby won’t eat initially, we have quart-size baby bottles with four-inch nipples that we can use to feed them. Whenever we have had a newly placed foster or adopted child, they have really enjoyed... more

On the way to monthly individual appointments with the psychiatrist, I always tell my adopted daughters to be honest with the doctor. Each month I remind them that the doctor cannot help them if they are not honest with him. Neither the doctor nor mom can know exactly what is going on in their brains. The only way to find out if a medication can help them is to tell the doctor what they are thinking or feeling. Mom can only give the doctor her observations, which probably isn’t an accurate assessment of her daughters’ thinking. When children have suffered trauma as my adopted... more

The adopted brothers are currently three and five. The same family adopted them each at birth and they share the same birthparents so they are brothers by birth and by adoption. The boys have always been on the active side. Their parents rarely take both of the boys anywhere together unless both parents are going so each can keep an eye on one boy. Some older birth siblings have been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD.) Since the boys really enjoy rough housing their dad and adult brothers have been teaching them wrestling moves. Their now... more