Just Like Dad

Matthew Walter, our oldest adopted child, is the only one who remembers anything about his life before he was part of our family. He is very inquisitive about my family, particularly my father. The other boys rarely, if ever, show such an interest. I look for opportunities with him to interject something about my father as we go through the day. For instance, this morning I took Matthew to have his eyes examined by an optometrist. When I could see that the doctor was making a good impression on him, I told him that my father and my grandfather (maternal) … Continue reading

Basic Nurture: Catching Up

When a child has not received basic nurturing as an infant, there is a deep need to receive what he missed, even if it comes several years later. I want to preface what I am about to write by saying that I am not a medical or psychological expert. I am raising children who were deprived of their basic necessities as infants. My wife and I have done our best to solve the problem based upon information from people who are experts and various publications which address the issue. Three of our children came to us when they were four … Continue reading

Give Them a Chance

A few days ago, I reviewed the redacted file that the state gave us when we adopted four of our boys. It has the photographs that were taken of the three oldest children when the state removed them from the place where they were living. Seeing the pictures enabled me to benchmark where they were then and where they are now. Our oldest was four and a half when this occurred. He was aware of their living conditions and I can see fear and anxiety on his face in the picture. He was very anxious when he came to live … Continue reading

Attachment Parenting-Responding

Most parents don’t sit around and plan how they will respond to their child’s needs but when attachment parenting an adopted child planning can really make a big difference. A child we have parented from birth will develop a way of letting us know what they need, and when they are happy or not. A child with only one set of parents from birth has consistent care and knows what to expect from their parents. A child with a strong feeling of safety and security will know and trust us to respond and to be consistent in the way we … Continue reading