As I have often stated, Satan is really getting a run for his money! He’s trying to do every little thing he can to disrupt this adoption and claim a victory. So, tonight, after a wonderful, wonderful day filled with family that have traveled to be here with us for our adoption proceedings tomorrow morning, we came home to a thunderstorm!

My daughter had a full-blown meltdown. Just everything you have heard about in children who rage – the oppositional behavior, throwing things, whining, insistent, disrespectful (of property and people), and saying all the “button-pushing phrases.” I heard what a bad mom I am; that she’s going to tell the judge she hates me and doesn’t want to live with me; a full-on “everything but the kitchen sink” sort of tantrum. Because her statements centered on me as her adoptive mother, I've called it, "The (Adoptive) Mother of All Tantrums."

I was so thankful for Faith’s recent article on How to Handle “Not My Real Mom” Comments from Adopted Child. Though I admit I lost my cool at one point, for the most part I really allowed her to feel her feelings and not take them personally. I told her I realized that she was angry (validation) but that even if she told the judges all those things, I would tell the judge that I still loved her and wanted to be her mom.

I gave her consequences for her actions, and each one saw a privilege taken away. Since her birthday is Friday, I warned her to think about her choices long and hard. Finally, that sunk in, since hubby and I have been very consistent – when something is taken away, it is gone – really and truly gone. That did the trick. I told her she would need to clean up the mess she made, since it was not fair that others in the family suffer because of her poor choices.

Suffice it to say that we worked it out, and everything is fine once again. My daughter apologized several times, though I reassured her after the first one, it wasn’t necessary – that we needed to be like God, and forget once forgiveness is bestowed. I apologized to her, as well, because I lost my cool for a moment. I wanted her to know that sometimes I will make poor choices, too, but that we just have to move beyond them, and not let them hang us up. She wanted me to pray with her, and we did.

And guess what, tonight we had full and total “Success!” with both kids zonking out without incident!

Stay tuned for the details of our finalization proceedings tomorrow!