Inside almost everyone lurks a little bit of fear. Some are afraid of spiders, being up high on a ladder, being on the water or sometimes even afraid of silly things like food. In most cases something has happened to make that person scared of whatever they are afraid of.

We learn as little children to feel happy, sad, mad, glad and even to be afraid of things. If a dog bites you and it hurts. Next time you see a dog you might remember the bite and be afraid of that dog.

When an older child is in foster care and comes up to be adopted.... more

Time is ticking by and you are now waiting for your phone call. To let you know your new child is ready for adoption. Everyone hates the sit and wait part of adoption. It seems like it takes forever.

One of the good things about this time you have which I call pre-adoption moments Is..... It gives you time to prepare. To clean rooms. Put a fresh coat of paint on the walls. Get your child some warm bedding. Make the new room cozy. And for us women....it gives us time to shop.

I love to catch the sales. I will often buy Christmas and birthday presents... more

After all the hard work of adoption when it is just about ready to pay off. One thing you will need to do is prepare your home and life style for your new toddler.

Walking through your home with a note book and paper can be a good first start. Write down any thing that you may need to child proof to help keep your new toddler safe. Such as:

1.) Electrical out lets...do they have plastic plugs. 2.) Look around what items should be placed in a higher place to prevent your toddler from getting a hold of them? 3.) Look for... more

As you look over your decision to adopt a child. You may also wish to take in consideration where the child will sleep. Which area of the house you will allow the child to call his or her own?

You may also think about allowing the child to help pick how they would like the room to be decorated. What color the walls should be? What type of bed do they like? Do they like carpet or another type of floor in their living space?

Any general line of questions that can help you get to know more about the child you have decided to adopt is a good thing.

Everyone has an interest in style and color. Especially children that are adopted internationally. They... more

So many people get so lost in the home studies and paper work of adoption. They loose track of some of the most important things.

One of which is getting your family used to the idea that there will be a new person moving into their lives.

This also goes for best friends and neighbors, aunts and uncles, grandparents and old college buddies. Just about anyone who is a big part of your family life. Right down to the local hang outs in town and your family hair stylist.

It just makes good since to let people around you know that you will soon have a new person in your family. So that it is a more comfortable transition for your new child and your community.

We... more

Oh the insanity of all the paper work that we go through to adopt a child. It is very important to fill out every blank. To answer the questions clearly. To write so that it can be clearly read. And.....Do NOT Forget the hyphen if there is one in your last name.

We had all of our paper work done. Sent off by our Adoption worker and then had it kicked back to us to complete. I guess I forgot to put a dash between my maiden name and my married last name.

So there we went back to the office (which was 45 miles away) just for me to draw small dashes in between my hyphenated last name.

Every "i" dotted and every "t" crossed. We sent back in the paper work. This... more

When you think about adoption most people just think new born babies. As wonderful as it is to have a new born. It is just as wonderful to receive a toddler too.

So many loving little people get passed by and end up growing older in care because no one thought about adopting a little toddler.

So sad as it is to say. Two year old toddlers are fitting into the older child category of adoption. Toddlers are just as lovable as the little new born babies. They are just exploring their world and learning about life and the people and things around them.

Children... more

When your adoption is final and your child is home. The world is just opening up to your whole family.

It may take months or years before things really settle down and you both consider yourself as a family unit. But the feeling of belonging is something that is precious. Once it is there it will grow stronger and stronger.

For the first few months you may have to put your child's needs first. Learning the things that are important to the child and allowing the child to grieve their loss. This is going to take time, effort and emotional... more

One of the best ways to keep your self organized is to open a file for each child in your house. Keep all of their paper work, their physical and dental exam reports, their up to date shot records, and anything else that is important in this file.

I used to work on my record files for each child as I encouraged them to sit and work in their life books. We would add pages of summer vacation activities and lists of new friends they made over the summer, pictures and drawings.

I also tried to keep a journal daily filled with anything... more

Foster parents often deal with older children. Because it is the older children who are the one's that no one cares to adopt. Sometimes it can take a few years for an older child of a sibling group to be adopted. So the foster home is a very important place in a child's life.

Our focus is to place the child one time and allow that child to bond and be stable for as long as possible. However many times it does not work out that way. For a numerous list of reasons a child can be moved from home to home.

As Foster Parents we must be able to say we will not get emotionally involved with the children and we must do our duty to help the child return home. Most of all... more