I Was Mom-Shamed For Going On A Solo Vacation
At first I struggled with feelings of shame and guilt until I realized I was internalizing the criticisms of people who loved me, but did not share my lived experience.
This is Kinship
We need resources, we are not trained for this.
This is kinship and it’s really hard.
The Most Important “Firsts”
We have navigated first time driving, first dates and your first job. As I look to the future the list of firsts seems endless.
Beyond Openness
I wish I knew what the future holds for our child, and our family, but what I do know is that openness does develop beyond placement, and much like other personal relationships it takes time, commitment, and a whole lot of personal growth.
From the co-authors of “The Promise”
"originally appeared in the Winter 2014 issue of the NACAC adopt talk magazine."
Christen:
After having two biological sons my husband and I decided to adopt in order to expand our family, and in 2010 we welcomed a sibling set of four—three girls and a boy, ages 3, 5, 7 and 9—into our lives and hearts. Despite knowing families often faced challenges in the early stages of placement, I was unprepared for the reality of what would occur—that it would be the greatest challenge of my life, and that it would kick my feet out from underneath me. I felt as though I was drowning in trauma and a safe shore was too distant. All six of my children, both biological and adopted, were drowning with too. I couldn’t even save myself, let alone everyone else.