In honor of national adoption celebration month we want to share your stories, and to start us off we want to share our adoption story with you, how "Adopted With Love"came to be and why we do what we do. So here is our founders story;
" My husband and I chose to explore adoption after being unable to conceive naturally. Initially, we intended to adopt domestically. However, a year into the process we decided that the Ukraine Adoption Program was a better fit for us. I am from Europe, so the required travel and language barrier were not enough to scare me away. We were still basking in the excitement of learning that the process would take only 2-3 months, when the Ukrainian government put a one year hold on all international adoptions. So, we waited. It wasn’t easy,but my husband and I got through it together. Things moved quickly after receiving our appointment date in Ukraine, and I was a mom two months later! All in all I feel like I was pregnant for 3 years and in labor for 8 weeks. The journey to our daughter was a roller coaster ride filled with the highest highs and lowest lows I’d ever experienced. Sometimes I feel like I’m still on the roller coaster, as adoptees often face unique emotional and developmental challenges that can be difficult to manage at times. However, I would not change a single thing about the entire experience. I created Adopted with Love to help those touched by adoption. We offer a variety of gifts that celebrate adoption as well as therapeutic resources meant to prompt discussions. Our newest social media feature, Family of the Day, allows you to share your experiences with foster care or the adoption process.
Thank you to all who have shared. " - Anne
Our Adopted With Love coloring book is here! Featuring some beautiful drawings this book is an amazing tool for therapy and communication. Coloring is believed to have therapeutic benefits for children and adults, and according to the American Art Therapy Association "coloring is an active process that can serve as a practice of externalizing focus and redirecting individuals who are pre-occupied in unhealthy internal dialogue"
According to child psychiatrist Dr. Gail Fernandez, both children and parents/caregivers can benefit from interactive activities in the following ways:
1. Children feel more important and loved;
2. Children are given the opportunity to learn from and model parents’ behaviors;
3. Caregivers guide more effectively by learning children’s strengths and weaknesses;
4. Children are more likely to voice opinions and share feelings; and
5. Parents/caregivers and children develop a stronger familial bond.
2. Children are given the opportunity to learn from and model parents’ behaviors;
3. Caregivers guide more effectively by learning children’s strengths and weaknesses;
4. Children are more likely to voice opinions and share feelings; and
5. Parents/caregivers and children develop a stronger familial bond.
This is a fun way to spend time together as a family and start communication, its inexpensive and can be added into any families daily routine!
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