From the category archives:

Identity

Tools: Lifebooks

April 26, 2011

Most likely you have a number of books in your home related to adoption—age appropriate stories, information aboutyour child’s birth country and culture (if applicable), adoptive parenting books, and parenting books. But there is another book you should have: a lifebook.
A lifebook is an actual book that you create. Of course, the best lifebook is [...]

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Adoption “Invisible”

April 16, 2011

The adoptive status of children must be addressed early on, and be ongoing. How children view and process adoption changes as they move through the developmental stages.
Children who are the same race as their adoptive parents comprise a healthy percentage of adoptions, regardless if their adoption was domestic or international. Children who are the same [...]

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Your Adolescent’s Job

March 10, 2011

The “job” of an adolescent is two-fold: discovering who they are while establishing their identity. It sounds easy, doesn’t it? But this job is complex, involving identification of their gender and what that encompasses, as well as defining and understanding their beliefs, values and expectations of themselves. This all-important task requires years of time, independence [...]

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Romancing the Culture

February 11, 2011

Parents who adopted internationally used to be told that assimilation was best. It was believed that love would be enough and that the child, adopted from another country and often of a different race, would eventually become part of, assimilated into, the majority culture. To focus or mention differences might create extreme discomfort and issues [...]

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“Real”

February 3, 2011

So… What is “REAL?”
Merriam-Webster defines real as, “not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory; occurring or existing in actuality; of or relating to practical or everyday concerns or activities; existing as a physical entity and having properties that deviate from an ideal, law, or standard.”
“On Real Parents,” a recent post on Grown in My Heart, contributor Jessica [...]

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A Place to Begin

January 19, 2011

One of the classes I teach addresses transracial parenting. Within the framework of this class we discuss strategies for dealing with racism. Even in this progressive year of 2011, racism, like bias, stereotyping and discrimination, is everywhere.
Racism is personal; it is also institutional. Racism segregates individuals into castes and can damage souls. Racism strips people [...]

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