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Daily Meditations for Quarantined Adoptive Parents and Kids

Family Devotions for Quarantine

Dear parents,

It seems as if the world has flipped upside down with the Corona crisis. What makes this a doubly- critical time for adoptees and foster kids is that this crisis reflects one of our basic losses–from the time our first, or second, or third parents relinquished parental rights–everything familiar was lost.

More than anything right now, adopted and foster kids need to be reminded that even though the world changes, the love of their parents never does.

I’m sharing a month of devotionals from my devotional book, in hopes that they may bless you as a family. I’ll include link for purchasing entire book at the end of this letter to you. You may want to use thoughts to prompt creative activity (making a braid bracelet, discussing at dinnertime as a family, chalk art on your sidewalk).

Imagine this! Your doorbell rings. Quickly, you open the door. On your porch step is a large, square gift box wrapped in white paper and tied with black ribbons.

The box and white wrapping is representative of your child’s life, given to her by the Gift-Giver himself.  The black ribbons are the pre-adoption losses you must help your child process in order to find and experience all God has planned.

As you work through the twelve months of this book, you’ll see the black ribbons transformed into sparkling white as your child’s emotions are healed by the Lord.

 You can expect to: 

Move to the Next Level of Parenting

I love the verse that talks about God making our feet into hinds feet that can traverse high places. That is what I envision for you. You might:

  • Embrace your vital role and not be nervous about the birth parents
  • Prepare realistically for adoption and not be frightened during the first days
  • Become your child’s number-one cheerleader by understanding special needs
  • Teach your child how to have healthy relationships 
  • Know how to gain entrance into your child’s world
  • Help your child let go of misplaced anger
  • See the flip side of the profound wound
  • Show your child  how to grieve loss
  • Diminish defenses of your strong-willed child
  • Comfort your child in a way he can receive 
  • Parent like Jesus so that your child see herself through God’s eyes
  • Launch your child into the incredible future God has planned for her

Now, imagine that inside the box are twelve envelopes, one for each month. Each has the name of a metaphor. The twelve metaphors will help you remember the inspirations, Scriptures, truths from the book Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew, and insights from one adoptee…me! 

Share Metaphors with Story Telling

The metaphors (the first reading from each month) can be used as a base for story telling with your children. It’s always more effective to tell the story, rather than read it. Read the metaphors and ask God to energize you as you share with your children before bed or at the supper table.

The twelve metaphors are: 

  • The Beautiful Braid 
  • The Grafted Tree 
  • The Invisible Race 
  • The Pearl of Intimacy 
  • The Sandcastles of the Heart 
  • The Red Lizard 
  • The Song in the Night 
  • The Butterfly 
  • The Tortoise 
  • The Good Shepherd 
  • The Child of the King 
  • The Eagle 

Create Family Projects

Creativity will flow between you and your children as you begin applying what you are reading to everyday life. You might: 

  • Discuss the project as a family
  • Make the box and celebrate who gives life
  • Get white paper, black ribbons, white ribbons, and twelve envelopes which your child can label.

In my book closet, the top shelf contains well-worn books that are my favorites because they’ve helped me know Jesus more. I pray this book may be on your top shelf.

With warm regards,

Sherrie Eldridge

Indianapolis, Indiana

With a keen awareness of what the adoptee’s original parents should be called, I chosen to call them “birth parents” in this work. “First” sounds so impersonal and birth is honoring the gift they gave.

January (The metaphor to share with the children is “the beautiful braid of adoption.”

“The Lord reigns, the Lord is robed in majesty and is armed with strength…you are from all eternity.”(Psalm 93:1-2, NIV)

Long, long ago, in eternity past, the Lord God created a beautiful braid and named it “Adoption.” The braid wasn’t a second thought or plan B for families. It was his idea before you and I ever drew a breath on planet earth. 

Can’t you just see him smiling as he created each cord in the braid?

He chose you to be a part of his braid.

Me, too!

I’m an adoptee…all grown up…at least physically!

My late mom and dad experienced challenges similar to yours. I was a handful, to say the least.

If they were alive, they’d love meeting you.

I’ll be writing in the first person, as an adoptee, but not presuming to speak for all adoptees.

Just one voice, praying this book will bless you like crazy.

Let’s get started by learning where you are in the beautiful braid!

January 1

There are three colored cords that comprise the beautiful braid of adoption. The cords themselves are made from the finest of silk. To the eye of faith, they are shining, gleaming, and lustrous. The green cord represents the birth parents, the purple, adoptive parents, and the red, the adoptee. Around the three cords is a thicker, wider cord, woven within, around, up and down. This is representative of our Sovereign God who controls all things for his glory and the good of those who love him. 

Your life has been touched by adoption for a purpose…his purpose.

January 2

“When she saw that he was a fine child…” (Exodus 2:2)

The red cord is the adoptee–a unique weaving together of nature and nurture into one marvelous human being, with unlimited potential. Each loss experienced is an invitation from the Creator to grow. You longed to parent this child more than life itself. You loved him long before his face ever appeared. You delight in his uniqueness. You anticipate that God-given speck of potential in his eyes becoming a reality. Revel in the fact that you are instrumental.

January 3

“Then she placed the child (Moses) in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.” (Exodus 2:3)

Green represents the first parents, like Moses’, who protected his life both in and after the womb. First parents sacrificially let go of the parenting role, trusting God with the bigger plan for their child’s life. Like Moses’ mother, who asked God how to save her son’s life, first parents voluntarily embrace bitter grief and loss for the good of the child.

January 4

 “I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.(Samuel 1:27) 

Purple is for royalty, distinction, eminence, greatness and nobility. Did you realize on adoption day that you were stepping into the throne room of the King instead of a hospital room? Did you realize the social worker who held your battered child’s hand as she was removed from abusive parents was the hand of God? You couldn’t sense God’s presence? That’ okay. He abides even in numbness. 

January 5

 “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.” (Psalm 139:7,9, 12)

The gold cord represents God Almighty–strong, unconquerable. He will never leave or forsake you. After all, this is his braid.  Even when we blow it, when we think thoughts that we’ve determined no good parent ever has, he hears yet doesn’t condemn. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!

January 6

 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9) 

Lengthening the braid requires speaking truth about adoption from day one. It may feel uncomfortable, but this is the way to provide an environment for child and family growth. As you tell the truth at age-appropriate times, her once-shattered trust will mend and she’ll grow closer to you. Remember…you were made for this.

January 7

 “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25) 

If the green in your braid is stained with negative and shameful birth history, the first parents need your forgiveness. Only through your forgiveness will your heart be an unshackled conduit of unconditional love for your child. We all must forgive because we were the ones who pounded the nails into our Savior’s hands and feet. He forgave the unforgivable in us. Dare we do less?

January 8

 “Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:20)

The green cord, the choices the first parents made, may be twisted.  Assure your child everyone has the privilege of choice and that the tendency to make unhealthy choices is not genetic. With a big hug, remind her that she is her own person and separate from her first parents’ choices.  Tell her that you will help her make great choices. Give hope that her first parents may learn to make good choices in the future. God has a great life ahead for your child.

January 9

“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:4)

The red cord, your child’s sense of worth, may be hanging by a thread. He may secretly believe that his life is a mistake because of circumstances and/or secrecy surrounding conception, removal when older by child protective services, or adoption disruption. It’s not prudent for parents to openly discuss, but extremely wise to have awareness of the possibility of this secret shame. Repeat often that his life is God’s idea.

January 10

 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever….” (Deuteronomy 29:29)

Your braid’s green cord may be missing due to international adoption or secrecy. A certificate of abandonment is your only document? Your child can still develop a healthy identity, for there’s information available. Encourage her to put the unknown things in God’s big, loving hands, and assure her that the green cord isn’t missing to him. He sees it all, even though she can’t. 

January 11

“…I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.…” (I Corinthians 13:9-11)

Braiding the cords with your child has diminished your stress. Openness and honesty always do that! You’ve learned to weave the reality of adoption into your family’s braid.  Not every parent has your boldness and authenticity.  No quivering lips or tears when your child’s first family is mentioned. No nervousness from keeping secrets, either. Your child loves you for that.

January 12

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17)

Celebrating your child’s differences makes your family’s braid grow like crazy. “If your birth mom hadn’t given you that talent for playing the piano, this would be a boring place.” To a teen in open adoption, you might say, “I wonder when your birth dad looked in the mirror and saw pimples on his face. You’re going to see him this weekend and can ask him!” Kudos to you, savvy parents.

January 13

“For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring…” (Isaiah 44:3)

Sometimes, braids need mending. The silk required for mending can’t be bought. It is heaven-sent and God promises to mend your braid with his Spirit. He delights in taking broken things and making them beautiful. Like Elijah under the broomstick tree, he wants you to take good care of yourself because many good things await you. Eat healthy. Don’t live on a tight schedule. Lean hard into him. He won’t fail you.

January 14

 “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king….” (Psalm 45:1)

Someday, your braid may be ultra-shiny. Your child may have an opportunity to tell about adoption! With God-given confidence, she might say, “Nobody knew I was alive, except God.  He planned my life before the world began. Like a potter with clay, he knew he’d need a little bit of this and a little bit of that to make me into exactly the person he had in mind.”

Pray for that wonderful day.

January 14b

 “….you are familiar with all my ways.” (Psalm 139: 3)

The red cord, your teen, will pull away and leave home for university, a job, or independent living. What will you yell as he pulls out of the driveway? “I love you….take good care of yourself!” Children learn self-care from their parents. They’ve been taking notes on how you care for yourself under pressure, change, conflict, and challenges. Thank God for grace. 

January 15

“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten…” (Joel 2:25)

There may be tear stains on your child’s red cord due to negative, painful, or missing birth history. Assure her that God redeems loss and will make up more than she could ever imagine. There are no lost years or experiences in God’s economy! He uses everything and everybody to make us into the people he wants us to be. There is no loss without a gain. Focus on gains.

January 16

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” (Ephesians 3:14-15)

The red cord sometimes feels torn between the green and purple cords. Which parents should she be close to?  How can she be close to both? This is a loyalty issue. Your child doesn’t want to hurt you or imply ungratefulness. Yet, her love for her first family is bone deep. Whatever set of parents she is with, she will likely avoid talking about the other parents. Express your love about her other parents often. Applaud the extended family.

January 17

 “Honor your father and your mother….” (Exodus 20:12) 

Both the green and purple cords, the adoptive and first parents, must honor one another’s lives. This is the key to entering the world of your adopted child. You can honor their position even if their performance isn’t commendable. “God knew that he needed the influences of all four of your parents to make you into the incredible person you are today.” By honoring each member of the extended family, the adoptee will experience unconditional love.

January 18

“The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.” (Isaiah 40:28)

Before the world began,

You had me in your hand. 

Created to be loved,

My purpose is in you.

Everything, absolutely everything

Above and below its purpose you know

The visible and invisible

Everything was started in you.

I found my purpose in you, Jesus,

Created to worship you forever.

I’ll worship you my Savior,

My life is yours forever.

(Copyright 2013, Heartland Church, Indianapolis, IN)

January 19

“Love is patient, love is kind… it does not dishonor others..”. (I Corinthians 13:4,6)

Which parent is real–green or purple? Eventually, the “real parent” question surfaces. The real parent puts the child’s needs first. The first mother and father are real because they chose life for the adoptee. If your adoption is open, they continue to be real, for there is an ongoing relationship. Adoptive moms and dads, you’re real. Oh, yes, you’re as real as can be… in the trenches every day.

January 20

“…the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) 

A torn red cord is clearly the result of trauma prior to adoption. Unresolved past trauma triggers infant screaming, teenage rants, and school-age tantrums. If you tense up, your child will pull away, go within, run away, or pout. However, if you speak truth about the current event that is triggering a painful memory, she will calm down. Assure her it won’t always hurt so much and that you’ll always be there for her.

January 21

“Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.” (Psalm 127:3)

The red cord wants to be close to the green. Your child may scream one day, “I am not like you.” He may be crying out for a reunion or more time with his first family and for deeper closeness with you. Your child wants close connections with both but probably doesn’t understand how to integrate his dual identity (nature and nurture). Pray, celebrate differences, and get counseling.

 January 22

The description of the beautiful braid is adoption from God’s perspective. Wouldn’t we love to be perfect and to live up to its description? In reality, our cords are torn, tattered, stained, frayed, and sometimes ready to break. Where is God, the author of adoption, in all the hurt and challenges? In the prison sentences, the disruptions, the arguments, insecurities, dashed dreams, special needs,and broken promises? He’s in it with you. Remember…he said he’d never leave us?

January 23

“Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” (I Kings 19:5)

If your cord or braid is well-worn, you may feel like the great prophet, Elijah. He had been greatly used in God’s kingdom and chased by wicked queen Jezebel. After blessing comes battle. Are you battling discouragement, like Elijah?

Satan would be delighted if you are because it’s one of his favorite tools. Ponder all you’ve been through lately. You haven’t failed in your faith walk. Even the greats get exhausted. Be like Elijah. Rest, eat well, and expect a touch from God.

January 24

“Can a woman forget her nursing child and have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.” (Isaiah 49:15)

Some red cords, adoptees searching for first parents, often are met with rejection. We’d like to think that all mothers want their babies or children, but God tells us the painful reality. First mothers have the choice of working through post-adoption loss and becoming healthy or taking the well-worn path of self-protection.  God makes his presence known in special ways to these adoptees, proving that the love of Jesus is deeper than any of life’s rejections. Your child may experience this. Let it happen and remain available.

January 25

 “You did not choose me, but I chose you…” (John 15:16)

Both green and purple cords are vital! Not sure? According to your child and God, there is no need for competition or comparison between parents. There’s no such thing as the “preferred parent.” Each time you are tempted to doubt your worth, return to the Cross. The ground is level there. Remember you were chosen for this.

January 26

“I have revealed you to those you gave me out of the world…I pray for them…for those you have given me…” (John 17: 6, 9)

Who holds your family’s braid?  God himself. Our pastor reflects God’s care for his own by rising early to make daily breakfast for his kids. He talks with them about their day and how difficult it is to live a Christ-honoring life in this fallen world. He reminds them that they are leaders, not followers. His last words to them: “Remember who you are.”  High fives and they’re off. Remember whose you are today…and then remind your children that they are God’s kids.

January 27

“His talk is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart.” (Psalm 55:21)

Red cords, adopted children, can get slammed through bullying. It can happen at school, a sleepover, or with a comment from a well-intentioned relative or friend. Words like “illegitimate” hurt adoptees deeply. Consider purchasing The WISE-UP Power Workbook, by Marilyn Schoetle. Your child needn’t be victimized by bullies. She can take her power back and you can be integral in helping this happen. 

January 28

“Since you died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces of this world…why do you submit to its rules? (Colossians 2:20,22)

Rules have their place, but for the child who’s been traumatized, he may believe that the only way to know God or be accepted by him is by rule-keeping. 

Help him steer away from a performance-based faith. He may not know what it means to have a personal relationship with God. You are the key person to live that reality out. What an awesome privilege. You go, parents! Grace trumps rules. 

January 29

“…I have made you, you are my servant; Israel, I will not forget you.” (Isaiah 44:21)

Knots in the red cord…your child and his beginnings. Adoptees raised in the closed adoption system were usually not told their birth stories. Some say, “I feel like an alien who was dropped out of the sky into my parents’ home.” To help your child discover when his true identity began, take him back to eternity past, to the heart of Father God. This is the place of shameless beginnings. The lifeline begins here and continues consistently even in the broken places. Peace to you, friends.

January 30

 “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.” (Psalm 68:5) 

If the red cord is searching for the green, unexpected and painful things may occur. One adoptee entered a counselor’s office for the first time and was asked if her mother tried to abort her. Years later this adoptee was reunited with her first mother who boldly announced that she would have aborted her if possible. Many adoptees have this story. This is when we must turn to the legacy Jesus left for orphans. A father to the fatherless. 

January 31

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” (I Corinthians 13:12)

I envision a huge Maypole with your children each holding onto different colored cords in the braid, and it is beautiful. They are celebrating that their lives were touched by adoption. However, for now, praise God that he gives grace to see the finished picture. Someday, in heaven, your braid will be perfect. No knots, no tear stains, no rips or tears, no missing cords. Until then, we walk by faith in the Son of God who loves us and gave his life for us.

Let’s stay in touch! I’ll let you know when the weekly blog is up. Sign your email here:

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TWENTY THINGS ADOPTED KIDS WISH–Daily Meditations for First and Adoptive Parents: https://sherrieeldridgeadoption.blog/shop

Parents, the kindle book is highly recommended. Read it in carpool lines and while waiting for the kids in the dr.’s office..

Copyright, 2014.

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Helping Adopted Kids Feel Safe Amidst Coronavirus

The Power of Tents for Adopted and Foster Kids

In the midst of the Coronavirus crisis, I’m thinking about adoptive parents of kids with special challenges, such as ADHD and attachment-disordered. You’re all home…together.

As you scramble to find a new normal for the family, for sure the kids can sense any panic, fear, anger you have, which is totally understandable. Never in any of our lifetimes–parents or children–has there been such a crisis.

It’s such a basic need of adopted kids to have connection, with you, friends, and other family members. But, we’re all called to social distancing, which may be incredibly difficult for adopted kids.

I’m going to share three ideas here that speak to this need. I’m hesitant to share, for it seems terribly simplistic and I’m sure you’ve all not only heard about it but also used it from time to time.

When I was a child, an only child, I found ways to feel safe when lonely, scared. or overwhelmed. My parents didn’t teach it–it simply evolved inwardly from my deep need to feel safe.

So what did I need to be safe from?

  • Sensory Triggers. These activated extreme acting-out behaviors (punching my fist through the refrigerator door).
  • Overwhelming Disappointment. My parents seemed more interested in meeting their own needs, when I needed them. Dad would sit smoking himself to death in front of the blaring TV, and mom plucked her eyebrows incessantly. How I wanted us to connect, but that didn’t happen much.
  • Physical Trauma Responses. I have always been cold and I believe with Bessel van Der KOLK says in his bestseller, THE BRAIN KEEPS THE SCORE. He says, “Trauma doesn’t surface in memories, but in reactions.”

As I began recording thoughts, common elements surfaced from each activity that may be of interest to you:

  • In the midst of chaos. As you probably already know, most adopted and foster kids are terrified of abandonment, so this keeps them safely in sight of parents right in the center of activity.
  • In a designated place. I can’t tell you how many times as a kid that I went to the places where I chose to find comfort. I will share that in a moment.

Remember, of course, that I don’t speak for all adoptees and foster kids. Each is unique with their own story to tell. I welcome other adoptees to share their safe places here so that adoptive and foster parents can benefit from your wisdom.

The first idea of helping your adopted child feel safe is the suggestion of building a tent.

  1. Suggest Building A Tent

When young, I’d build a tent over mom’s 4 X4 card table with layers of sheets and blankets… right in the middle of the dining room.

I still remember how much fun it was constructing it and then entering. There’s just something that makes me feel safe under a roof-like thing over me. Would you believe, even now, I craft my sheets at night to go over my head.

Of course, being a dollie lover, I’d take two or three into the tent so that I could take care of them. Plastic feeding bottles and also room for their bed and blanket.

Being right in the middle of the living probably assured me that I wouldn’t be abandoned–perhaps by my parents.

I know what you’re thinking, parents. “I’d never abandon my child.” Even though that is true, your child may not know it on a consistent basis. After all, he believes his first parents abandoned him/her. Times of crisis may temporarily erase our object permanence.

It felt so warm and cozy and safe in there. I loved it and would have kept it up permanently….but mom didn’t agree.

2. Encourage Designating A Specific Place to Curl Up, or Be Contained






There's something about curling up and/or 
being contained that makes many adopted and
 foster kids feel safe. It may be under a
 stack of pillows, in an empty drawer, 
under the stairs,
 or in a tight corner. 

It's that fetal position...perhaps remembering 
our time in our first mom's womb?

I had a clinical depression at 
age 40 and was put in the lock-down unit, 
and when my family left and the steel doors 
closed behind them, I ran to open the door. 

I pushed on the steel door,
 only to be told it wouldn't open. 
I ran to a nearby couch and curled up 
in a fetal position.










Mom and Dad owned a modest bungalow house and back in the day,  registers were placed in the wall. Their register was in a cozy little place in-between the a room divider in the dining room and next to their Duncan Fife blonde dining room furniture.





I loved it there. Again, it was in the midst of all that occurred.  That close space and the constant heat was incredibly comforting.





 Heat continues to be my “go to.” As I write this post, a small room heater blows heat on my feet:-)





Remember, adoption is a lifelong journey:-)





That register became my place and I’d not be able to count how many hours I spent there, right up until the time I left home for college.





3.   Sleep Under A Weighted Blanket





Weighted blankets make you feel like you’re being held closely. The brand of mine is Hiseem.





And so, adoptive and foster parents, along with fellow adoptees and foster kids, let me know how your child finds comfort, and adoptees, please share your thoughts here.





Press on, my friends. We will all make it through the crisis.





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Posted on 
Ending the Unwanted War Between Adoptees and Their Moms
	


			

			
				Why Does My Adopted Kid Hate Me?			
		

	
	

		

It used to be that being in my mom’s presence was like running long fingers over a blackboard. There was a war going on between us–a war neither of us wanted, but one that we couldn’t escape.





It’s scary, like climbing Everest without ropes. It’s also lonely, as most moms don’t know that this is a common dynamic. The challenge is to accept the fact that some relationships in life are non-intentional, unplanned, unpremeditated, or unconscious and that the world of adoption is filled with these relationships.





However, this reality is rarely made public. It’s kind of a secret, or a hot potato amongst those touched by adoption. Put yourself in the shoes of an adoption professional arranging an adoption. Would she/he have the courage to share this unwanted relationship? Would she ruin the adoption with such knowledge? What would he/she say if the parents returned four years later reporting that their child has out-of-control anger? Would she/he have any answers for the distraught parents?





This mom/child adversarial dynamic must be clarified and normalized for the sanity of the majority of adoptive and foster moms. Someone must validate the wounds adoptive moms suffer from rejecting children. Someone must verbalize that adopted children wonder what’s wrong with them. Why the intense anger? Is there a biological tie to an unknown relative?





How I wish mom and I would have known that the unwanted, excruciating war between us could end. Mom was at such a disadvantage, for nothing back in the day, absolutely nothing was discussed amongst those adopting or the institutions that carried it out.





Anger was the last thing I would choose today as my part in the mother/child relationship, and I’m sure my mom wouldn’t choose to feel fearful and inadequate. We both would choose that ultra-loving mother/child relationship, where no words are needed and where we could gaze into one another’s eyes, knowing we’re loved. It would be a relationship where we could savor hugs and girl-busting laughs. A world of truth telling and healthy boundaries.





Nancy Verrier grabbed the hot potato in 1993 when she wrote her 1993 best-selling book titled THE PRIMAL WOUND: Understanding the Adopted Child. She validated the adoptee wound and ever since, adoptees have dog-eared pages, quoted it, and carried it around, like Linus with his security blanket. 





And, rightly so. This indeed, is the adoptee’s “aha book.” In essence, it says, “Yes, it hurts like h__l to lose your first family. Yes, you have a right to be angry. Yes, your cry is  heard.”





Even though Ms. Verrier brought the first healing step of validation to adoptees, many are stuck in that phase. We are stuck moaning about the repercussions of adoption. We just can’t remain in that sadness and brokenness forever. It’s time to move on.





The majority of people in the world of adoption give kudos to Ms. Verrier, including me. She’s led us miles, but now it’s time to move on toward next steps for healing adoptee anger and how it affects  the mother/child relationship.





Please know that I am just an old adoptee who is finally free of the angry chains that held me and I declare that healing is possible for adoptee anger that pulled mom and me apart for decades.





As a veteran in the world of adoption and as an author, I thought I’d written every book I ever wanted to. However, radical things began happening within me that seemed worthy to share for the benefit of adoptive and foster moms, and kids of all ages. 





I must warn you that this post will not be a feel-good read. No warm fuzzies or heart-shaped emojis. No steaming bedtime tea and cookies. After all, many of you are desperate for hope, right? Hope that you’ll be enough for your child? Hope that your child can heal from his painful past?





Hard, gut-wrenching, instrospective work is required for healing. What I will share here is the narrow path, the secret ingredient, the key that opens the possibility of healing for every relationship–forgiveness. 





How I wish mom and I knew about what will be shared . We would have been freed from the war between us and enjoyed an intimate parent/child relationship that only comes from tough self-examination of both child and parent.





The path I took looks like this:





  • We hurt
  • We hate
  • We heal ourselves
  • We come together again





Let’s add here that not all adoptees and moms experience a strained relationship. There’s no evidence of adoptee angst. Instead, there’s an openly loving relationship. This is often attributed to level of resilience, DNA, brain development in utero. Babies that are told during by first moms that they were loved during the intimate nine months of life, are sure to begin life as an adoptee with a sure foundation. Just ask Dr. Thomas Verney, MD, and author of THE SECRET LIFE OF THE UNBORN CHILD. 





Parents, if your child displays no angst, remember all that he/she experienced. That can’t be buried. Your child will have to process it someday. So, enjoy the love, but realize that it may be a defense against being further rejected…by you.





You are not alone, moms, in the stressful relationship with your adopted child. There are many engaged in the war with children, but let me assure you that the war can end. 





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Posted on 
What’s With The Silly Cap, Randall?
	


			

			
				What's Up With the Ski Cap, Randall?			
		

	
	

		

I couldn’t believe it when This Is Us’s Randall wore a ski cap to the event that Kevin took their mom to! 





Of course, he and Kevin were in an all-out battle about who could take better care of their aging mom, as dementia set in.





The scene of Kevin taking his mom to the gala event provided the first glimpse of Randall’s cap. In the midst of Hollywood elites, Randall snuck in, uninvited. Could that be why he wore the silly cap? Did he think he was hiding and no one could see him?





Then, suddenly, when Kevin leaves mom for a couple of minutes and she becomes disoriented in a conversation, Randall appears like Superman to help her…without his cap.





The next scene, when Kevin returns to his mom’s side, there is a stark contrast between the faces of he and his brother. Kevin’s face became sadder and sadder and the emotional bond and shared DNA became clear.





Randall’s face showed no emotion except anger. Why? He is determined that only he has the right answers for their mom’s future. He will do anything to take good care of her.





I wonder if this is a common behavior for adopted adults. I remember back to when my mother suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack and I couldn’t even cry at her funeral because I was so worried about dad. BTW: I was an only child.





Another possible interpretation of Randall’s tenacity was that he sensed he was losing his mom and connection with her was all that he knew. Oh, no…he’d already lost his first mom…now a second? 





Another thought about the cap is that Randall may see himself as in a battle–for his mom, but also for himself. And, what do soldiers wear in a battle? A hat to protect their heads.





Randall saw himself in a battle–for his mom, but also himself.  You see, many of us adoptees are addicted to connection. We will do anything to maintain it. And, Randall was losing it. How could he survive without the connection to his mom?





Of course, the writers of the mini -series left us all hanging when Randall and Kevin left their mom again…just for a minute.





Upon returning to where she was supposed to be, they didn’t see her.





I guess we’ll all have to stay glued to the tv for next week’s program.





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Posted on 
How Adopted Kids Want Their Parents To Handle Their Pre-Adoption Loss
	


			

			
				Why Do Adopted and Foster Kids Grieve Loss?			
		

	
	

		

 As an adoptive parent, you may feel uncomfortable, protective, or defensive about the reality of your child’s pre-adoption loss of the first family.  What is an adoptive or foster parent to do about it?





 I know this is a difficult subject for many of you. You are not alone. Hopefully, you’ll gain some insights here about how you can help rather than hinder his/her grieving process.





Adoption professional and prolific author, Jayne Schooler, says, “The moment the subject of the adoptee’s woundedness and loss comes up, it’s like a shield goes up and they can’t hear a word you say.”  





Adoptive mother, Ellen Dunaway, says that hearing about adoptee loss just breaks her heart.  She can’t bear to think about the fact that her child was and is hurting.





It’s painful to enter into your child’s suffering.  It’s so much easier to assume that all is well inside your child, especially if she hasn’t manifested any obvious problems.





I Am A Grieving Child





 The first thing your child wants you to know is this: I am a grieving child.  I came to you because of loss—one that was not your fault and that you can’t erase.





When I was twelve years old, my best friend’s mother died of cancer. I can still remember watching her grieving family follow the casket up the aisle of the church. As the congregation stood, my body began to shake uncontrollably as unwelcome sobs burst forth like an erupting volcano. It was embarrassing, to say the least. After all, it wasn’t my mother who died . . . or was it?





My parents did the best they could to comfort me, but they had no knowledge of how present circumstances can trigger unresolved loss for an adopted child. More than likely they attributed my out-of-proportion sadness to emotionalism and adolescence. Little did they know that I was mourning the mother who carried me for nine months, whose face I never saw, and whose heartbeat was my original source of security. 





Granted, my loss was different than that of my friend’s. There was no dead body, no funeral service, and no empty place at the dinner table.





 But the loss was just as real nonetheless. 





I  Hurt When You Romanticize or Deny  My Loss





My parents’ response to my grief was to shield me in the future from anything that would prove upsetting. Therefore, when my grandmother died a few months later, they kept me home from the funeral while the rest of the family attended. I’m sure they believed they were doing the best thing, but just the opposite was true. 





My adoption wounds were buried even further beneath a layer of overprotectiveness, which would make me even more determined than ever to keep the grieving part of myself hidden from others. 





My story is not unusual. Most adoptive parents, instead of helping their child to grieve the loss and find closure, deny his past losses and romanticize his adoption. 





Instead of  bouquets of flowers and accolades of sympathy, there are romantic clichés that feel like salt in a gaping wound: 





  • “You are a chosen child!”  
  • “Be thankful you were picked.
  •  Think of all the others who weren’t.”





  What a shame, for denying loss and failing to grieve can keep parents and children at arms’ length instead of in a healthy, invested relationship.





 Webster’s defines romanticism as “imbued with or dominated by idealism; fanciful; impractical; unrealistic; starry-eyed, dreamy; head-in-the-clouds; out of touch with reality.” 





 Could it be that you have unknowingly been an adoption romanticist all these years? If so, it’s time to pull out the pruning shears and seek truth about adoption on every level. 





I Can Tell When You Are Emotionally Absent





Looking back, I believe my parents were frightened by my emotional vulnerability. Perhaps it triggered their own unresolved issues of grief and loss and feelings of extreme helplessness. 





The best thing you can do to help your child is to grieve your own losses which may have occurred prior to adoption—losses such as infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, or death—and to let yourself feel sad for your child’s losses and your inability to protect him from whatever happened to him prior to joining your family. 





 Only then can your adopted child’s losses be validated and then grieved together in an atmosphere of openness and honesty.  





You will be able to say, “We’re sorry too, that you didn’t grow in Mommy’s tummy.”  Or, “We feel sad that we couldn’t be with you in the past to make your world safe and secure.”





Grieving your own losses and facing your child’s opens the door for you to be emotionally in tune with your child, to know his unspoken needs, and to partner with him as he works through his own grief issues. It is the open door to parent-child intimacy. 





Once you have successfully grieved the losses in your own life, you will be a “safe person” to your child—one to whom she is free to express any emotion without condemnation or judgment.  You will provide a place brimming with welcoming acceptance, one that encourages conversation about your child’s feelings surrounding adoption. It is within this seedbed of acceptance and grace where healing from unresolved adoption loss occurs and bonding begins.  





Adults adopted as children can find such a place through adoption support groups and trusted therapists.





Listen to the words of one adoptive mother in Naomi Ruth Lowinsky’s book, Stories from the Motherline: Reclaiming the Mother-Daughter Bond. The mother remembers how grieving losses together brought intimacy with her daughter:





 	I ached for her, for my beautiful youngest who had never been inside me, never been nursed by me, whose face I did not see when she entered this world. I felt grief for the pregnancy I had not experienced with her, grief for her birth and early months. I felt grief for the empty place in her, left by the birth mother who could not keep her. I understood that my daughter and I needed to feel these things together.





	During the next few years, I often spoke to her about these feelings of grief and loss. She would climb onto my lap and her wiry little body would relax in my arms. We spent many hours like this, mourning together, creating a bond out of our feelings of loss.





Without a doubt, this mother and daughter successfully bonded to one another. Their close relationship is similar to what happens when a graft takes hold.  When a graft succeeds in nature, it takes with a vengeance, producing a union at least as strong and often stronger than the rest of the tree.





I Need You To Validate My Pain and Purpose





	I believe that one reason many parents don’t validate their adopted children’s pain is because of the pain-avoiding society we all live in.  Just the sound of the word “pain” activates our flight-or-flight response.  After all, doesn’t pain imply an injustice or a failure?  A barrier to our guaranteed right to happiness?





	Dr. Paul Brand, a world-renowned surgeon and leprosy specialist, says in his book, The Gift Nobody Wants, that there needs to be education about the origins of pain and its purpose.  “In the modern view pain is the enemy, a sinister invader that must be expelled.  And if Product X removes the pain thirty seconds faster, all the better.  This approach has a crucial, dangerous flaw: once regarded as an enemy, not a warning signal, pain loses its power to instruct.  Silencing pain without considering its message is like disconnecting a ringing fire alarm to avoid receiving bad news.” 





	What is needed is an honoring attitude toward pain—an attitude that sees pain as a beloved enemy that beautifies rather than destroys.  Just as an irritating grain of sand can be the catalyst for producing a beautiful pearl within an oyster, so the pain of adoption can become the catalyst for producing a pearl of intimacy between adoptive parents and children.  





Highly respected adoption educator, Marcy Wineman Axness quoted Annette Baran and Wendy McCord in her eloquent booklet, What Is Written On the Heart…Primal Issues in Adoption. “Parents whose children express sadness usually feel that they need to reassure them, rather than feel the sadness along with them.  But having lost an original set of parents is something to feel sad about, and the best any parent can do for a child is to allow them to share those feelings of loss with them.  





While it may seem easier—especially in the beginning—to avoid these uncomfortable feelings, glossing over them with cheerful slogans isn’t the loving choice, for ultimately it deprives both parents and children of genuine intimacy.” 





I Need You To  Validate the Depth of My Wound





Keep in mind that my knowledge and research is based mainly on adult adoptees who were damaged by the closed adoption system. Nonetheless, I believe that their experiences teach us that what the majority of adopted children need is validation of their wounding loss.  





A parent might whisper to her adopted infant, “You must miss your birth mommy.  We are sad, too, that you had to lose her.”  “It really hurts, doesn’t it?” is a phrase that can be used by parents in every phase of the adoptee’s life, for it demonstrates empathy and compassion.





Adoptees need to learn to accept their wound as part of their life history—an  unchangeable fact over which they have no control, but which need not cripple them in the future. This is one of the challenges of being adopted which, if accepted, can bring tremendous growth and maturity. 





 Dr. Connie Dawson, adoptee,  attachment therapist, and adoption educator says, “When someone told me that I have suffered an irreparable wound, a burden lifted from my shoulders. In all my therapy, no one had ever told me that I couldn’t wrap this one up neat and tidy…couldn’t fix it. Oh yes, I could lay gangplanks over the deepest parts so I wouldn’t be swallowed up in its recesses. I could cauterize the edges to heal the rawness. But I couldn’t fix it, if fixing means I take care of it and it goes away. It doesn’t go away, neither does it have to be the ball and chain around my ankle. It doesn’t have to make me feel I should apologize for who I am. It only means I’ll take care of my own. And I will accept that this wound will continue to instruct me the rest of my life.





I Hope You Put Away False Guilt





Another thing adoptees need is for their adoptive parents to put aside their own false guilt.  Parents who feel guilty are incapable of dropping their defenses and entering into their child’s unresolved pain around the losses that neither parent nor child could prevent. 





It is natural for adoptive parents to struggle with guilt when they hear about their child’s wounds.  Parents tend to search for the ways they could have prevented their child’s trauma, often using the phrase, “If only . . .”





  • If only I had been there at the birth of my child.
  • If only I had known the birth mother earlier and been able to nurture her.
  • If only I had known more about adoption issues and how to handle them.





Any explanation, even at the cost of suffering guilt, may help adoptive parents cope with the desperate sense of helplessness they feel over their child’s suffering. 





Cynthia Mohanon, in Children and Trauma, says, “If a parent can find some way in which the trauma was her own fault, it becomes possible to believe that further trauma can be avoided. Guilt offers a kind of power, however illusory, over helplessness.”





 Erroneous thinking like this is the seedbed of false guilt and will interfere with the parent/child bond if not recognized and dealt with. 





The most important thing adoptees need is the freedom to express their conflicting emotions without fear of judgment. This is the final step toward healing, the one that brings release and freedom. Psychologist and author Dr. Arthur Janov says in The New Primal Scream, “As children, we need to express our real feelings to our parents.  We hurt if our parents are indifferent.  If they force back our resentment and our rage, we hurt.  We can no longer be ourselves and be natural.  Our nature, therefore, is warped, and that causes pain.  If you don’t let an arm move naturally, if you bind it with tape, it is going to hurt.  If you don’t let emotions move naturally, you get the same result.  The need to express feelings is just as physiological as hunger.”





I Need to Feel Safe with You





Adoptees need a safe place to share their feelings about adoption, both positive and negative, and to feel protected and loved unconditionally regardless of what comes out of their mouths.  As a parent, you can learn how to create this safe environment within your home so that your child is free to express grief and conflicting emotions about being adopted.










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Copyright, 1999, Penguin Random House, Chapter 3: Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew, by Sherrie Eldridge