When looking at the photolistings for "Children Awaiting Adoption," you will see an area under the picture after the description which will say Physical, Emotional, Mental, and Learning. After each of these areas you will find a listing with one word. It may say None, Minimum, Moderate or Severe.

All four areas will be filled in. It is very important to ask what each of these areas mean and how they were determined to be moderate or severe if listed.

What may be severe to you could be mild or moderate to a seasoned worker. What may be listed as... more

While checking out the http://www.kidshealth.org/ link. Which I would recommend to every parent with a computer. I found an article on Cat Scratch Disease.

They describe it as: Cat scratch disease is a bacterial infection that typically causes swelling of the lymph nodes. It usually results from the scratch, lick, or bite of a cat — more than 90% of people with the illness have had some kind of contact with cats, often with kittens.

I found this kind of interesting because our daughter Angela has a new kitten.... more

More and More children are being born with heart problems. With all of the encouragement for your girls to eat healthy and to make sure they take a vitamin supplement along with a good source of folic acid, to prevent birth defects. You would think they would learn to treat their body good until they are past the child bearing years.

However sometimes there is nothing a mother could do to prevent childhood heart problems. Especially if cardiac problems run in the family. The good thing is to have your child get a good check up each... more

One of the most powerful feelings we learn to harbor in life is Guilt. Something goes wrong and it is obvious someone is to blame for it. In many cases of divorce or child abandonment, it is the child who develops the deep feelings of guilt.

Without any substance for blame the child learns to feel the guilt. They often will not even admit the guilt feelings because the emotions form without them even knowing what they are. Many children think "It was my fault" that mom or dad did not love me or that they fought and or divorced each other.

Realizing that your child is vulnerable... more

One of the hard things to learn about children who have been in Foster Care and have been put up for Adoption is how well they know and can use the system against you.

New parents have no clue about how things really work. So until they get their feet wet with a few really smart children. They won't know what hit them. (giggle)

It is like they know where your buttons are and they know how to pull the strings to get you to do what they want you to do for them.

They turn on the charm or the sad story and before you know it you... more

One of the oldest but newest used areas in counseling and in self help groups dealing with Adjustment issues is called "Mirror of Adjustment."

It encourages a person to read and to apply themselves like the characters in a book. Using the reflective source of the characters to enhance their life and help them adjust to their existing life issues.

Austin L. Porterfield Offers a book called "Mirror For Adjustment." It deals with Therapy in home, school and society. Through seeing yourself and others as the characters in books.http://www.antiqbook.com/boox/connie/119290.shtml

"Porterfield writes about using literature as a tool for self-analysis, on one's own or in... more

Adjusting to a new family is very difficult for most of the children who move through the system into adoption.

Dealing with the loss of their most precious loved ones such as mom, dad and siblings. Is never easy. Many people compare this to a greater level such as death of a loved one. So there has to be a grieving process.

As with any loss in our life we must learn healthy grieving, healing, rebuilding and adjustments in life.

What makes it difficult is that the children are moved from one place to another in most cases while they are in the grieving process. This slows down the healing and forces the issues of adjusting, without the opportunity for rebuilding... more

I have seen this behavior twice in my career as a Foster/Adoptive Parent. One incident stands out in my mind so clearly.

We had taken the children out to eat and two of the boys had very bad behavioral issues. So we decided that instead of eating out we would go home.

When we got home it became a cold cuts and salad night. One of the boys was very quiet then out of the blue he began screaming and punching things. We sent him to his room. Thinking separating him from the other children would be best.

He continued punching walls and being violent to the point where we called the emergency number at the Childrens Agency for help. By the time someone called us back.... more

Have you ever seen someone become so angry that the are violent and they destroy property and remain in an out raged state of mind, then see the anger vanish as quickly as it arrived?

This behavior is not your every day normal angry episode. With normal anger you can track an escalation period before the high point of rage hits and you can just as easily track the Descalation of the anger as well.

With a person who has Intermittent Explosive Disorder. The anger just violently appears out of no where for no apparent reason or very little cause. It can last for minutes and or sometimes hours and it will vanish just as quickly as it came. Leaving the person in a remorseful... more

Heaven is a young girl who entered the system at the age of 9. Her birth father loved her and tried to help her but her mother had serious issues with her and did not want her in their home.

Through a series of events, Heaven was placed into a girls home, Children's Village. She remained there until she met my friends Dawn and Mike. Dawn and Mike spent time with Heaven and they loved her. They did not see why she needed to be in a place like children's village, so they tried to foster care Heaven.

When all else failed and the father decided he would sign over custody papers, Dawn and Mike fought to have Heaven placed in their home. It took a good attorney and a few... more