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Books > Health, Home & Family > Family & health > Family & other relationships > Adoption & tracing birth parents
With an introduction by the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola
Sturgeon `Like the best memoirs, this one is written with
novelistic and poetic flair. Red Dust Road is a fantastic, probing
and heart-warming read' Independent From the moment when, as a
little girl, she realizes that her skin is a different colour from
that of her beloved mum and dad, to the tracing and finding of her
birth parents, her Highland mother and Nigerian father, Jackie
Kay's journey in Red Dust Road is one of unexpected twists, turns
and deep emotions. In a book remarkable for its warmth and candour,
she discovers that inheritance is about much more than genes: that
we are shaped by songs as much as by cells, and that what triumphs,
ultimately, is love.
In postwar Canada, having a child out-of-wedlock invariably meant
being subject to the adoption mandate. Andrews describes the
mandate as a process of interrelated institutional power systems
which, together with socio-cultural norms, ideals of gender
heteronormativity, and emerging sociological and psychoanalytic
theories, created historically unique conditions in the post WWII
decades wherein the white unmarried mother was systematically
separated from her baby by means of adoption. This volume uncovers
and substantiates evidence of the mandate, ultimately finding that
at least 350,000 unmarried mothers in Canada were impacted.
The ideal first book for prospective adopters. When you decide to
adopt a child, you might assume that all the important work begins
when the child comes to live with you. In fact the preparation
stage before is crucial in ensuring that the adopted child will
arrive to a safe and secure family. Preparing for Adoption provides
clear advice on how to prepare for your adoptive child and create a
strong foundation for a healthy and loving relationship. Julia
Davis explains how many different factors can shape preparations
for adoption, such as finding out about your child's history and
using this information to establish a family environment which will
meet your child's specific attachment needs. There is also advice
on how to prepare your home to create a sense of safety for your
child and how to prepare your family to support you as adoptive
parents. Primarily for adopters, foster carers and professionals
supporting adopters, this book offers ideas and strategies to help
parents prepare a happy and settled home for children before their
arrival and ways to parent them in the early days of becoming a
family that addresses their attachment needs.
This is not just another book about adoptive parenting. This is the
real stuff: dynamic, messy, baffling adoptive parenting, rooted in
domestic life. Award-winning columnist and adoptive parent Sally
Donovan offers savvy, compassionate advice on how to be 'good
enough' in the face of both day-to-day and more bewildering
challenges - how to respond to 'red mist' meltdowns, crippling
anxieties about new routines and, most importantly, how to meet the
intimidating challenge of being strong enough to protect and
nurture your child. Full of affecting and hilarious stories drawn
from life in the Donovan household, The Unofficial Guide to
Adoptive Parenting offers parents a refreshing counterblast to
stuffy parenting manuals -- read it, weep, laugh and learn.
Written by an adoptive mother and an adoptee daughter, Before You
Were Mine offers a unique Christian perspective on creating a
Lifebook that commemorates your child's birth story. Complete with
worksheets and advice from adoptive families, you'll find that
remembering and celebrating your child's history can be fun,
rewarding, and even redemptive. You'll discover how to uncover and
organize details of their birth story, make the story both truthful
and positive, and use the Lifebook to trace God's faithfulness.
This powerful concept takes the guesswork out of how and when
you'll talk about your adopted child's beginnings---and offers him
or her a lasting memento that helps them overcome uncertainty and
fear to rest in Christ's unconditional love. How will you embrace
your child's birth story as part of God's plan? Before You Were
Mine will help you relax and rejoice in the beautiful story God is
writing for your child.
Finally, a parenting book which demystifies the latest thinking on
neurobiology, physiology and trauma and explains what the research
means for the everyday life of parents of children who hurt. As
experts on adoption and fostering who are adoptive parents
themselves, Caroline Archer and Christine Gordon explain how this
knowledge can help parents to better understand and care for their
child. They explain why conventional parenting techniques are often
not helpful for the child who has experienced early trauma and
explore why therapeutic reparenting is the only way to help repair
the unhealthy neurobiological and behavioural patterns which affect
the child's development. They do not shy away from how difficult
reparenting is, acknowledging how hard it can be to recognise our
own fallibility as parents and to change our own parenting
patterns. The authors also offer hard-won advice on a range of
common parenting flashpoints - from defusing arguments and
aggression to negotiating bedtimes and breaks in routine, and
making sure that special occasions are remembered for all the right
reasons. Reparenting the Child Who Hurts is a humane, no-nonsense
survival guide for any parent caring for a child with developmental
trauma or attachment difficulties, and will also provide
information and insights for social workers, teachers, counsellors
and other professionals involved in supporting adoptive and foster
families.
This text helps those who went through the adoption process, or
experienced early childhood trauma, re-examine their life and
realise who they are. It is a book about becoming aware of the
reasons for certain attitudes and behaviours.
The story every mother in America needs to read. As featured on NPR
and the TODAY Show. All moms have to deal with choosing baby names,
potty training, finding your village, and answering your kid's
tough questions, but if you are raising a Black child, you have to
deal with a lot more than that. Especially if you're a single Black
mom... and adopting. Nefertiti Austin shares her story of starting
a family through adoption as a single Black woman. In this
unflinching account of her parenting journey, Nefertiti examines
the history of adoption in the African American community, faces
off against stereotypes of single Black moms, and confronts the
reality of what it looks like to raise children of color and answer
their questions about racism in modern-day America. Honest,
vulnerable, and uplifting, Motherhood So White is a fantastic book
for mothers who have read White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo,
Stamped from the Beginning by Ibram X. Kendi, Why Are All The Black
Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? by Beverly Daniel Tatum, or
other books about racism and want to see how these social issues
play out in a very personal way for a single mom and her Black son.
This great book club read explores social and cultural bias, gives
a new perspective on a familiar experience, and sparks meaningful
conversations about what it looks like for Black families in white
America today.
When life looks radically different than the plan we have for
ourselves, it's the lucky few that recognize God's plan is best.
That's what adoptive mom Heather Avis learned, and that's the
invitation of this book. As the mother of three adopted children -
two with Down syndrome - Heather Avis has learned that it's truly
the lucky few who get to live a life like hers, who actually
recognize that God's plans are best, even when they seem so
radically different from the plans we have for ourselves. When
Heather started her journey into parenthood she never thought it
would look like this, never planned to have three adopted children,
and certainly never imagined that two of them would have Down
syndrome. But like most things God does, once she stepped into the
craziness and confusion that comes with the unknown and the
unplanned, she realized that they were indeed among the lucky few.
Discover in this book what 70,000+ followers of Heather's hit
Instagram account @macymakesmyday already know: the power of faith
and family can help us stay strong in the toughest times. This book
will also be especially touching to those with adopted family
members or children with Down syndrome in their lives.
Trauma can have a significant impact on the stability of a child's
development and can put additional pressures on the education staff
working with them. Showing you how you can best support children
who have experienced adverse childhood experiences, this guide is
full of practical guidance on how you can adapt your teaching with
this group. Covering a range of issues a child may have, such as
foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, pathological demand avoidance,
attachment difficulties and many more, this book provides the
trauma-informed tools you need to care for these children and to
give the best possible opportunities from their education. It also
addresses the difference children may experience in learning, how
they behave, how teachers can ensure home--school cooperation, and
how teachers can act in a trauma-informed manner.
Michaela Foster Marsh and her brother Frankie grew up as "twins" in
Glasgow, Scotland in the sixties. Born only weeks apart, Michaela
was white and Frankie was black, and they were an unusual sight in
their dual pram. Despite the doting of his parents and the
unceasing love of his sister, Frankie's life was rarely easy, and
it ended far too soon when a fire took him when he was only
twenty-six. But for a devastated Michaela, Frankie's effect on her
life was only beginning. She embarks on a search to learn what she
can about Frankie's birth family, a journey that takes her to
Uganda, to a culture and a family she never knew, through twists
and turns and remarkable coincidences - and to a mission and to a
connection with her African brethren she never could have imagined.
STARCHILD is a remarkably candid memoir that plays out on both a
personal and global scale. It is the story of the intimacies of
siblinghood and the complexities of multi-racial adoption. It is
the story of the unique connection of extended family and the
unique commitment to an adopted homeland. It is the story of
long-held secrets revealed and long-maintained barriers broken. And
it is ultimately the story of a sibling relationship that
transcends borders, time, and life itself.
As an adoptee, do you have mixed feelings about your adoption? If
you do, you are not alone - adoptees often experience complex
feelings of grief, anger, and questions about their identity.
Sherrie Eldridge is an adoptee and adoption expert, and in this
book she draws on her personal experiences and feelings relating to
adoption as well as interviews with over 70 adoptees. Sherrie
reveals how you can discover your own unique life purpose and
worth, and sets out 20 life-transforming choices which you have the
power to make. The choices will help you discover answers about
issues such as: Why do I feel guilty when I think about my birth
parents? Why can't I talk about the painful aspects of adoption?
Where can I gain an unshakable sense of self-esteem? Sherrie also
addresses the problem of depression among adoptees and common
dilemmas such as if, when and how to contact a birth mother or
father. This fully updated second edition includes new material on
finding support online, contacting family through social media, and
features three new chapters, including Sherrie's story of reuniting
with her birth brother, Jon, in adulthood.
How do you create an adoption portfolio that will show prospective
birth families why you are the perfect adoptive parent for their
child? Do you know which pictures to include and which to leave
out? Do you really understand what prospective birth parents care
about? This is a step-by-step guide to creating a portfolio which
will reflect your personality, make a strong positive impact and
encourage the right birth family to choose you. Madeleine Melcher
shares the secrets she has discovered over years of creating
successful portfolios, profiles and prospective birth parent
letters. She combines simple and effective design ideas and tips
for writing and layout with a deep understanding of how portfolios
work. Importantly, this book also draws extensively on the
experiences of birth mothers and the professionals who support them
to examine what they are really looking for, featuring questions
which prospective birth mothers will want to see answered in your
portfolio. From text to design, this guide will give you the
confidence to create a portfolio that sets you apart. It is
essential reading for prospective adoptive parents, as well as
adoption attorneys and adoption agencies advising those hoping to
adopt.
Is transracial adoption a positive choice for kids? How can
children gain their new families without losing their birth
heritage? How can parents best support their children after
placement? Inside Transracial Adoption is an authoritative guide to
navigating the challenges and issues that parents face in the USA
when they adopt a child of a different race and/or from a different
culture. Filled with real-life examples and strategies for success,
this book explores in depth the realities of raising a child
transracially, whether in a multicultural or a predominantly white
community. Readers will learn how to help children adopted
transracially or transnationally build a strong sense of identity,
so that they will feel at home both in their new family and in
their racial group or culture of origin. This second edition
incorporates the latest research on positive racial identity and
multicultural families, and reflects recent developments and trends
in adoption. Drawing on research, decades of experience as adoption
professionals, and their own personal experience of adopting
transracially, Beth Hall and Gail Steinberg offer insights for all
transracial adoptive parents - from prospective first-time adopters
to experienced veterans - and those who support them.
Toddler Adoption looks at the unique joys and challenges of
adopting and parenting a toddler. When a child aged is adopted
between the ages of 12 to 36 months, they often show signs of
cognitive and emotional immaturity, which can cause behavioral and
relational issues. This book offers support and practical tools to
help parents prepare for and support the toddler's transition
between the familiar environment of their biological parent's home
or foster home to a new and unfamiliar one, and considers the
issues that arise at different developmental stages. It highlights
the challenges that parents are likely to encounter, but also gives
positive guidance on how to overcome them. Written by a specialist
in children's development who is also an adoptive parent herself,
this fully revised and updated edition of the go-to-source on
adopting toddlers is essential reading for both parents and
professionals working with adoptive families.
A child is coming - whether you approve or not it's time to get
with the program! If someone you care about - a family member,
co-worker, or close friend - has recently announced that their
family will be growing through adoption, you may have questions.
After all, unless you have personally experienced adoption, you may
know very little about how adoption works and what it means. Are
you worried that your loved one may face disappointment? Do you
find yourself wondering exactly what your role is going to be in
the child's life? Does the term "open adoption" confuse and concern
you? Just what are the privacy boundaries for families built by
adoption: what is it okay to ask about? Adoption Is a Family
Affair! will answer all of these questions and more, offering you
information about who can adopt, why people consider adopting, how
kids understand adoption as they grow up, and more. This short book
is crammed full of the 'need to know' information for friends and
families that will help to encourage informed, happy and healthy
family relationships.
Attaching in Adoption is a comprehensive guide for prospective and
actual adoptive parents on how to understand and care for their
adopted child and promote healthy attachment. This classic text
provides practical parenting strategies designed to enhance
children's happiness and emotional health. It explains what
attachment is, how grief and trauma can affect children's emotional
development, and how to improve attachment, respect, cooperation
and trust. Parenting techniques are matched to children's emotional
needs and stages, and checklists are included to help parents
assess how their child is doing at each developmental stage. The
book covers a wide range of issues including international
adoption, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, and learning
disabilities, and combines sound theory and direct advice with case
examples throughout. This book is a must read for anyone interested
in adoption and for all adoptive families. It will also be a
valuable resource for adoption professionals.
While the topic of gay marriage and families continues to be
popular in the media, few scholarly works focus on gay men with
children. Based on ten years of fieldwork among gay families living
in the rural, suburban, and urban area of the eastern United
States, Gay Fathers, Their Children, and the Making of Kinship
presents a beautifully written and meticulously argued ethnography
of gay men and the families they have formed. In a culture that
places a premium on biology as the founding event of paternity,
Aaron Goodfellow poses the question: Can the signing of legal
contracts and the public performances of care replace biological
birth as the singular event marking the creation of fathers?
Beginning with a comprehensive review of the relevant literature in
this field, four chapters-each presenting a particular picture of
paternity-explore a range of issues, such as interracial adoption,
surrogacy, the importance of physical resemblance in familial
relationships, single parenthood, delinquency, and the ways in
which the state may come to define the norms of health. The author
deftly illustrates how fatherhood for gay men draws on established
biological, theological, and legal images of the family often
thought oppressive to the emergence of queer forms of social life.
Chosen with care and described with great sensitivity, each
carefully researched case examines gay fatherhood through life
narratives. Painstakingly theorized, Gay Fathers, Their Children,
and the Making of Kinship contends that gay families are one of the
most important areas to which social scientists might turn in order
to understand how law, popular culture, and biology are
simultaneously made manifest and interrogated in everyday life. By
focusing specifically on gay fathers, Goodfellow produces an
anthropological account of how paternity, sexuality, and
masculinity are leveraged in relations of care between gay fathers
and their children.
Tilly hates her stepfather, Dave. He abuses her mother, but she
refuses to leave him. Frightened for her own safety, Tilly asks to
go into foster care and is placed with Cathy. Tilly arrives with a
graze on her cheek and Cathy becomes increasingly concerned by
Dave's behaviour, especially when she learns he has been showering
Tilly with gifts. While she's busy looking after Tilly and trying
to keep her safe, Cathy is also worried about her own daughter,
Lucy. She has a very difficult decision to make that will affect
the rest of her life, and Cathy hopes she makes the right choice.
Adopted at birth, Andrea Ross grew up inhabiting two ecosystems:
one was her tangible, adoptive family, the other her birth family,
whose mysterious landscape was hidden from her. In this
coming-of-age memoir, Ross narrates how in her early twenties,
while working as a ranger in Grand Canyon National Park, she
embarked on a journey to discover where she came from and,
ultimately, who she was. After many missteps and dead ends, Ross
uncovered her heartbreaking and inspiring origin story and began
navigating the complicated turns of reuniting with her birth
parents and their new families. Through backcountry travel in the
American West, she also came to understand her place in the world,
realizing that her true identity lay not in a choice between
adopted or biological parents, but in an expansion of the concept
of family.
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