The last few days have been a whirlwind, harkening me back to those first few days - almost. Yesterday, my husband preached for a neighboring congregation. My daughter, who had visited this congregation before and loved it, was having a difficult day to say the least. She had a meltdown during services. She kicked, pulled, bolted for the front door and was verbally insulting. I managed to get her to the cry room, and had to hold her until she could calm down. She was able to turn it around, and we rewarded the behavior.

My daughter has struggled with insomnia... more

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Many times here at AdoptionBlogs.com we talk about the challenges associated with parenting children who have special needs. But what happens when the parent is the one who has special needs?

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Education: If your child were the one with special needs, you would run down every source you could to find out more about that condition or disorder. So it is when the parent... more

For people who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), experiencing another incident like the death of a loved one or pet, a natural disaster or some other ancillary event, can trigger and exacerbate the condition.

Remember the re-experiencing or reliving the incident are hallmarks of PTSD. After a recent earthquake, my daughter talked about it for days afterward, and would rock her bed to simulate it. For people with PTSD, this type of recreating of events is commonplace.

If possible, try to have a more relaxed schedule in the days following the precipitating event. The stress of trying to hurry about can make a difficult time even harder. Use the time to allow your... more

Our adopted children are new to the state of California. Tonight we had an earthquake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale. The southern half of our state is being ravaged by wildfires. These are new experiences for our kids.

The earthquake hit a little after 8:00 p.m. local time. Our house, built in the 1950’s began to shake, rock and roll. It was a longish earthquake as these things go – I’m a native Californian and I’ve lived through a few to know – and it went through several phases. There was an initial jolt, then shaking, then the house began rolling – a feeling like you were on a surfboard for the first time.

Fortunately, there was no damage to our home or property.... more

I added a new word to my vocabulary today: encopresis. In brief, encopresis can be either voluntary or involuntary bowel movements at an age when developmentally it is expected that children can contain them. Involuntary encopresis has an organic cause such as precipitating constipation. The hard fecal matter was not expelled while constipated, and comes out involuntarily at such a time when the bowel regulates once again. Voluntary encopresis typifies some sort of internal or external emotional struggle and is often found in children with mental health issues such as Oppositional... more

I am a firm believer that Christian parents should be the first to discuss sexual matters with their children. Children will pick up this information in one way or another, and I believe it is best they hear the Christian perspective on the beautiful gifts sex and our bodies are, before they hear it from the world and the spin they put on it.

Having said that, I also believe there is a time and a place for it. Often, the conversation is “forced” to appear before the parent is ready because our children were exposed to something inappropriate on television, or because the child’s friend tells them something that they then check out with us, as parents. Sometimes, sadly, we talk about... more

So it came about whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him. (1 Samuel 16:23)

By titling this post, Music as Therapy, I don’t mean to suggest a replacement for traditional therapy if it is warranted. Rather, it is my aim to address the therapeutic role music can play in mental wellness.

I’ve shared often how I grew up with undiagnosed ADD and depression. I was often teased, beaten up, and... more

Many of my articles are borne out of whatever is going on in my life, and generally, because of my research, I have tips for you. In this post I am going to turn the tables on you, and give you a dilemma and ask for your creative tips!

My six-year-old daughter suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). One of the hallmarks of this disorder is insomnia, often due to hyper-vigilance. It often takes my daughter two to three hours, on average, to fall asleep.

We’ve... more

Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all (1 Timothy 4:15).

Okay, this verse is taken out of context, but it so aptly summarized what’s been going on with my daughter of late. We just came back from her therapy appointment, and I’m just so pleased with the progress I see. I’m using this post as a snapshot – a reflection of a brief moment in time – knowing that the task before her requires so much that nothing is static as of yet, but is rather dynamic, that is, ever changing..

We... more

I certainly did think exactly that. To be honest, I thought it more than once in the 14 years that Super Dad and I have been adopting and fostering children. Six of our seven adoptions were through the state foster care system and are considered special needs by the state.

Why the sudden true confessions? Yesterday, I received an email from a college student working on a project she called “six degrees of separation” for her Research Methods and Gathering Class.” She had found my email address on my special needs blogs and wondered if she could ask me some... more