Tag Archives: trauma

Scary Times

I remember September 11th, and I’m sure you do too. My daughter wasn’t born yet, but in a couple of months we’ll make our way to Manhattan to visit my brother, and I’m debating whether to talk with her about what happened there. I also remember listening to a discussion by attachment experts and psychologists after the fact. As teachers and parents across the United States and around the world grappled with what to say to their children about the terrorist attacks, the experts were rather unified in their opinions. Tell children that they are safe, they said. Yes, explain … Continue reading →

9-11 and Other Traumas

That morning in 2001 will go down in history as being a morning that truly changed the world. Despite the horror of the events of that day, it was also a day of world solidarity, as people of all races and creeds came together to stand in awe and disbelief at the magnitude of what had occurred. But this event was much more than the death of a relative handful of people and the destruction of mere bricks and mortar. As with any disaster, there is always a spark; a light that never goes out. That light is the human … Continue reading →

Sleep Issues in Adopted Children, Part One

Adopted children can have all the sleep issues other do and then some. Parents use various methods to try to get their kids to sleep. Some of these methods may not be appropriate for adopted children depending on the circumstances. First let’s talk about sleep issues that apply to all children. Some children just seem to need less sleep (judge by how they are acting in the daytime, not whether they want to go to sleep!), some seem temperamentally more sensitive to separation from parents, some prefer to be swaddled and some dislike it, and many more normal differences. In … Continue reading →

Foster Children Need Love

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Sometimes foster children come into a home so distressed and traumatized that it is difficult to imagine how they could ever adjust to anything but institutional living. On May 5, 2003, Walter and Jacob came to live with us. We already had their two brothers, Tommy and Caleb. Jacob was very difficult to handle. We now had, Caleb, four months old, Jacob, 18 months old, Tommy, 30 months old, and, Walter, who was four and a half. Tommy was having hysterical, screaming rages quite regularly. Walter was very hyperactive and obviously anxious. Jacob could not get along with any of … Continue reading →

When Your Child Is Hurt–The Unexpected Trauma Injury

Before you read this Blog I need to warn you, I tend to get a little dramatic when I write about this event in our family’s life. To my credit I think it should be expected that a mommy would be dramatic about a traumatic life changing injury happening to her oldest child. The truth is we do not live our lives thinking we would be the people on the evening news, or that our child would be taken to the hospital in a life flight helicopter. It was December 6, 1992 and snow had covered the valley floor of … Continue reading →

Coping with Sexual Harassment and Assault (1)

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Sexual assault in all its forms occurs across all age groups and in both genders. Unlike the stereotyped “rape” scenario, sexual assault is rarely carried out by strangers. One of the most frightening aspects of this often life-changing event is that it is most commonly performed by a person who is known to the victim. Sadly, it is not so much the dark-clad figure in the lonely park at night that is responsible for most assaults. It is the known and respected: the fathers, the uncles, the husbands, the boyfriends, the teachers, and the bosses. It is this latter aspect … Continue reading →