Conference Call on Monday, December 27at 7:00 Central Time

Happy Holidays!

Although I am not in the office next week, I plan to conduct our conference call on Monday as planned.  We will have to limit this call to 30 minutes because I have a call planned with Nepal families at 7:30.  I hope to have some updates to share Monday evening regarding court dates and/or Embassy appointments.  Of course, the families involved will receive personal notification before the call but I will share the general news with the group.

To join the call, dial 1-800-944-8766 and enter the code 39085.

Have a Merry Christmas!

Salome LaMarche

Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know -Post # 10

This is the final post in the ten week series of  Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know, which was developed by Richard Sudsberry, MA, LMFT, LMHC, who is a clinician specializing in attachment and children.  As a reminder, we will be hosting a webinar on January 6^th, 2011 entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know.  Registration is limited and the invitation to register will be coming by email early next week.

The last concept is Playfulness.  Be an interesting parent.  Playfulness fosters innocence, innocence fosters vulnerability, and vulnerability fosters emotional regulation and cooperation in relationships.  The holidays present a perfect time for playfulness.  Enjoy the snow, time with family, and the joy this season brings.

We hope you will join us for the webinar!

Happy Holidays!

 

Ethiopia Adoptions In the News

Please follow the link below to view an article regarding adoption from Ethiopia.  There has been a lot of discussion recently around the concern that adoptions in Ethiopia be processed ethically and with the best interest of the children in mind.  Some cases are facing increased scrutiny by the US Embassy.  So far, FTIA has not experienced any delays and are hoping that trend will continue.

As we know more, we will certainly pass the news along to you.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/Under-Pressure-Ethiopia-Plans-Crackdown-on-Baby-Business-111848424.html


Salome

Ten Things Adoptive Parents Should Know -- Post # 9

The concept for week 9 is to Provide lots of structure and nurturing.  Define roles in parent responses.  For example – “My job as your mother is to……. and your job is to……..” Children from difficult places need calm, secure rules (both formal and informal), role definitions, their unacceptable behavior to be stopped, an invitation for your child to experience things he/she finds challenging. Nurturing will include lots of rocking, holding, snuggling, healthy touches, positive eye contact, perhaps co-sleeping with young children, and using an article of clothing as a transition object.  65% of all interaction is social/emotional!

If you have any questions about the concepts presented or would like to talk in more detail please contact cscheller@ftia.org.   As a reminder, we will be hosting a webinar on January 6^th, 2011 entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know.  Registration information to come.

1st Court Date and Tonight's Conference Call

Hello!

I am happy to share that all three families with recent court dates have now passed court.  Now they can relax knowing that they will soon be bringing their child home.

We'll have our conference call tonight at 7pm.  To join, you can call 800-944-8766 and enter the code 39085 when prompted.

Ethipia Update

Greetings,

I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.  A few of you were busy preparing for your first trip and your court date.  I can confirm that one family has passed court and two more have court dates very soon.  We are hoping for the same good news for those families. 

Two families with referrals are anxiously awaiting their first updates and news of court hearing.  The first month or so after a referral can be very hard to bare because there is so little information.  Rest assured that the team in Ethiopia is diligently working to move your case forward, there simply isn't much to report in the beginning.

We'll have our conference call on Monday evening, December 6th at 7 pm.  To join, call 1-800-944-8766 and enter participant code 39085 when prompted.

Have a great weekend!

Salome LaMarche

Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know Post #8

The concept for week #8 is the understanding that for children from difficult places, we need to see resistance, aggression, attention needing behaviors, and compulsive actions and attitudes as stress or fear states – NOT MISBEHAVIORS. The understanding is larger than the expectations.  Children need lots of empathy and compassion about fears.  We need to acknowledge and accept fears, don’t dismiss them.  Help your child take small steps at facing their fears over time.  Children from difficult places need parent acceptance of feelings in the face of what makes them fearful…often masked as hurt (withdrawal), anger (aggression) or anxiety (compulsive) behaviors.

If you have any questions about the concepts presented or would like to talk in more detail please contact cscheller@ftia.org.   As a reminder, we will be hosting a webinar entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know at the end of this series (January 2010).