Category: Family
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Capacity for more
A friend called to tell me about a baby abandoned in Brasov. She was initially taken home, but the family is rather disorganized and the baby has a thyroid problem. The doctor sent her home with treatment and instructions, but the family didn’t give her the medicine at all. And brought her back and released…
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Children & apologies
You’ve got to let them come to you. This year with Jackie has been like that. Give her space. Be available. She’ll come to you. I love the teenage years, challenging as they may be. She is maturing under my own eyes and we are building a strong relationship. She is curious and challenges the…
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ivy is 8
She is the baby in the house. We try to elevate her, give her responsibilities which she fulfills with timely commitment and joy. But then she retreats in her baby stage, soft voice, cute demeanor. Not my favorite but I love her nonetheless. When we visit friends, babies are drawn to her like bees to…
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Prayer for wisdom
As a little girl and a teen I always prayed for wisdom. There were so many things I felt I didn’t know. I tried to not tempt God. I asked for things that He promised He could give me. “Ask for wisdom and you shall receive it in abundance.” But wisdom is like a river.…
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Adoptive families together
We get easily influenced by negative things and thoughts. But consistency in pursuing what is good brings encouragement and hope. We don’t change the world through some meeting, but that sense of belonging, the joy of adoption, the encouragement through stories, funny & clever, are a gift. We end the year managing to get together…
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Intentional noticing
Today’s lesson was about housework and good observing work. How come a mom’s mental load is so heavy? Because she is so good at observing what needs to be done. I heard a mom’s story about using this phrase and the effects of it. And when traveling, when her kids used the public bathroom which…
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Perseverance
As I write about everything that moves me, I wish I took better writing classes. I wrote lame poetry as an early teen, and my literary interpretations in school were better than average, and yet, I feel that there is an untapped wisdom and creativity in writing. And though I practice, i don’t know how…
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Permission
“Who told you, you can do this?” I ask my 7 year old, taken aback by her actions. “I told myself” she answered with an obvious “duh!” confident voice. I also think through every situation fast. I do. But I find myself in her predicament often. I do decide for myself even when it’s borderline.…
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Therapeutic retrospection
The girls wanted to watch old videos of themselves. I indulged a trip to the past that lasted an hour. We nearly peed our pants laughing. We watched videos from their first days with us and the few years later. Them playing, us together and mostly regular life at the apartment. Those first years seemed…
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Outer world vs inner reality
I have two very different kids. One is in my face. The other one is very reserved. I have learned to engage with the outspoken one, who is so different than me. It challenged and changed me for the better. What shall I do with the one whose personality is too similar to mine? You’d think…
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Autonomie
În pofida dificultăților, limitărilor, greșelilor, indisponibilități adulților din viața mea când eram copil, sentimentul de autonomie m-a protejat de percepția ca traumă a evenimentelor din viața mea . Cred până în adâncul ființei mele că: “Pot face ceva. Sunt în control. Nu îmi place situația în care mă găsesc. Schimb ceva.” Mă aud zicând ca…
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Să ne învățăm copiii să spere cu îndrăzneală
Teologia credinței are multe nuanțe. Mulți dintre noi credem în funcție de personalitatea sau mediul cultural în care ne-am dezvoltat. Unii își cer drepturile, alții așteaptă cu răbdare să li se facă dreptate. Sa li se dea partea. Cu cele mai bune intenții, un tată împărtășește cum fiica lui l-a învățat să apere cu îndrăzneală…