All Age Adoptions Plus

08/02/2020

White and parenting or thinking about parenting a black child ....
this is a good read ....

07/25/2020

White Parents, Raising Black Children - Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man - Ep. 6

White Parents, Raising Black Children - Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man - Ep. 6

Emmanuel Acho sits down with Aaron & Jamie Ivey + their kids, to have an uncomfortable conversation about the struggles, differences and what they have learn...

07/14/2020

Robin DiAngelo and Resmaa Menakem: In Conversation

Robin DiAngelo and Resmaa Menakem: In Conversation

The author of “White Fragility” and an expert on racialized trauma together — a deep dive into the calling of our lifetimes.

07/10/2020

The state of will now be requiring health care workers (including therapists I assume but I haven't investigated it that closely) to receive implicit bias training. The executive directive was signed yesterday and I watched people really burst into flames over this. They called it offensive, racist, etc., insisting that health care workers never allow their bias to enter into their treatment of patients, etc. etc.

The thing about implicit bias is that it's IMPLICIT. Meaning- it's not in our awareness. Implicit bias is like always wearing colored lenses that shift the way we see everything in the world. But the lenses are always on and everything is colored and we don't remember or never had a time when everything WASN'T colored so we have no idea we are seeing everything through this lens. It's something that is true about all of us. We all have implicit bias. We need our implicit to impact our actions otherwise the amount of explicit thinking we would have to do about EVERYTHING would literally create a dead-lock and we'd never do anything.

Our implicit out-numbers our explicit (the things we ARE aware of) 11 MILLION to 50.

Well, the estimate is 6-50 but I went ahead and gave the high end.

Our brains can't really comprehend that ratio. So let's just say our implicit is more powerful than we think.

This is NOT CRITICISM. It's just a thing.

Implicit bias in health care (and lots of places- like social work and child welfare and basically everything but we are talking specifically about health care) is extremely well researched and documented. This is not a hypothesis. It's an actual thing and people actually die from it. AND there is research that shows simply LEARNING about implicit bias changes those outcomes. IT PREVENTS PEOPLE FROM DYING.

It's not criticism. It's not racist. It's just memory science.

07/10/2020

Be the delays physical, cognitive, emotional or a combination, getting support and helping the world understand your child is a huge part of the parenting journey.

07/03/2020

9 Resources For Non-Black Parents Of Black Children, Recommended By Experts

9 Resources For Non-Black Parents Of Black Children, Recommended By Experts

Parenting is a complex job for most every family, but raising kids across racial lines presents its own set of challenges. But there are many excellent resources for non-Black parents of Black children available to help caretakers navigate the…

04/14/2020

2 Freebies going this week!!
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Code expires 4-20-2020
Load both in your cart and get them free with the code PostFreebie5
Bryan Post Q and A on aggression in Children
https://postinstitute.com/product/q-and-a-on-aggression-featuring-bryan-post/

Bryan Post on 3 pathways of emotional expression
https://postinstitute.com/product/understanding-why-your-child-acts-out-with-behaviors/

04/09/2020

This weeks free podcast—
Big Poppa, Bryan Post, talking with parents on Aggression in Children
Use the code PostFreebie4
Valid until 4-13
And this link 👇🏼
https://postinstitute.com/product/q-and-a-on-aggression-featuring-bryan-post/

04/02/2020

UPDATE: Due to the overwhelming response to our free online training offer, we are moving the free access to these trainings to a different platform.

Thank you for your patience as we pause free access to TBRI 101 and TBRI & Trauma-Informed Classrooms until Monday, April 13.

Details on how to access these trainings at no cost will be available beginning Monday, April 13 through June 30, 2020. We will provide an update on this page as well as at child.tcu.edu/sale.
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We're offering FREE 30-day access to our digital trainings through May 31!

We hope these resources are helpful to parents, professionals and students alike during this time of social distancing.

Visit child.tcu.edu/sale to learn more.

03/08/2020

02/29/2020

Rep. Sean Maloney Delivers Personal Testimony in Hearing on Trump Admin Anti-LGBTQ+ Adoption Policies

Rep. Sean Maloney Delivers Personal Testimony in Hearing on Trump Admin Anti-LGBTQ+ Adoption Policies

02/27/2020

02/14/2020

11/06/2019

I'm also very against pre-matching and adoptive parents being in the delivery room and having a mother sign a legal contract immediately after giving birth... That's all coercion in my book...

11/05/2019

Timeline photos

It's the love story you've been waiting to see.

11/04/2019

When you’d children know you’ve got their back it’s a game changer.

10/30/2019

10/28/2019

10/27/2019

09/23/2019

Photos from Americans for African Adoptions, Inc's post

06/01/2019

Business and traffic in Water Street in Monrovia

04/09/2019

Timeline photos

Day 9: Antiracist Parenting: Principles vs. Practice (Homework Assignment!)
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As mentioned last night, today we are asking white parents to read a journal article by Sarah Matlock and Robin DiAngelo called: “’We Put It in Terms of Not-Nice’: white Antiracists and Parenting”. It can be accessed here:https://robindiangelo.com/2018site/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Not-Nice_-Antiracists-Parenting.pdf

It is approximately 20 pages long, so please block out some time. This article focuses on a study involving white parents, but is a worthwhile read for anyone interested in interrogating what it means to apply and practice antiracism in parenting (as opposed to just learning and talking about it). We invite anyone (you don’t have to be white, you don’t have to be a parent) to join us in reading. ➡️Please respond in the comments with at least 1 thing you learned from the article and how you are going to apply what you learned to your own parenting.⬅️
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“The research shows that white parents who identify with antiracism values are almost universally contradicting their value system in significant ways. Antiracist white parents overall were aware of racism as a system of oppression that conferred unearned privileges, and they conveyed this awareness to their children, but there was minimal modeling of antiracist action. Awareness must be raised within the community of white antiracist parents about how many of their behaviors reinforce, rather than challenge, white supremacy.” We'll be adding more notable excerpts from the article to the comments throughout the day.

04/07/2019

"Every adoption is 'special needs.'

Every adoption, every foster child, every orphan, represents loss. Someone died, someone left, someone was impoverished, someone was arrested, someone was addicted, someone was diseased, and at the end of the broken is the child. Wrapped up in each situation is hurt, and all that accompanies that. This is the reason there is no adoption that is not a 'special needs' adoption; you just might not know on the front end what those special needs are."

04/03/2019

Timeline photos

Day 2: Check yourself.
"Get comfortable talking and learning about race, racism, and racial inequity, period. If you cannot explain to another adult why these patterns of racial inequity exist & persist, it is going to be impossible to explain to a four-year-old in an age appropriate manner. There are indeed age-appropriate ways to explain structural racism & implicit bias to young children, but first adults have to fully understand these concepts themselves. If you were not taught these things, it’s certainly not your fault, but it is your responsibility to do the work to learn more now. If you are not used to thinking & talking about these things in your everyday life, make a concerted effort to do so.”
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"Start by taking some time to think about how your race affects your life & the lives of those around you. If you are uncomfortable talking about race, ask yourself why. Think about what messages you received about race as a child. Read articles & books that help you understand how race & racism affect the lives of a variety of people and to learn about race, racism, bias, and hate. Think about Kimberlé Crenshaw’s concept of intersectionality. Race is not a monolith; racism exists within a system of multiple oppressions. Think about how race intersects with ethnicity, religion, s*x, gender identity, s*xuality, age, ability, national origin, citizenship status, and more. Read about microaggressions, white supremacy, white privilege, white fragility, and tone policing – these are especially important for white people. Explore structural and institutional racism and the history and legacy of racism in this country."
🌱
You don’t have to have all the answers, but you should be engaging in some level of ongoing exploration and education. Our question for you today is: ➡️For those who have started learning about race, what books, articles, or resources have you found helpful to you? We’ll share some of our favorites in the comments too.
For those who have not started: Will you commit to reading one article or getting a hold of one book this month to start? ⬅️

[Image quote: Robin DiAngelo, excerpt 1: Erin Winkler, excerpt 2: ALSC)

02/21/2019

Very much worth reading ...

12/19/2018

12/14/2018

12/11/2018

https://www.facebook.com/1536216079992517/posts/2246471472300304/

12/11/2018

When you have a "regular" child (neurotypical child), you feel reasonably assured that class participation and decent study habits will result in good grades. These kids have close friends. They get invited to participate in social things like dances and weekend gatherings. They make the teams, auditioned organizations and clubs.
But when you have a child with certain differences, this is often not the case. Learning may take longer, both academically and socially. Despite their tremendous efforts, results are often a fraction of their peers and social acceptance is fleeting, setting them up for painful comparisons and bitter frustration. Instead of a fun and fulfilling experience, school can become a breeding ground for depression and anxiety, and assignments a battle ground at home. It is exhausting for parent and child alike.
This is the week of SPED (Special Education), Autism, Dyslexia, and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) awareness. For all the children who struggle every day to succeed in a world that does not recognize their gifts and talents, and for those who are walking beside them, please let this be a gentle reminder to be kind and accepting of ALL people. Recognize that the "playing field" is not always a level surface. Children who learn differently are not weird. They are merely gifted in ways that our society does not value. Yet they want what everyone else wants: To be accepted.
If you choose, please copy and paste this in honor of all children who are deemed "different". Our world would be far less beautiful without them.

11/28/2018

11/22/2018

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and families

11/20/2018

Click here to support Burch Baby Fund organized by Melissa Bentley

Sometime we are blessed with our children for just a very short time....

Liam Burch was born September 4th. Ashley and Chris became his parents on October 16th. Liam was born with Down Syndrome and shortly after being born he had heart surgery. He was able to come home with his parents on November 12th. Liam unexpectedly passed away a week after arriving home. I have...

11/09/2018

Shared from Stephanie Grant PhD.

”Possibly controversial post ahead...

November is the month when we recognize adoption. Often we focus on raising awareness of the need for more adoptive parents or on how many families have been created through adoption. But for the past few years, it hasn’t been uncommon for me to hear adoptive parents express guilt that they don’t feel they can participate in either the celebration or advocacy of adoption because of how difficult it can actually be. Instead they often choose to remain quiet out of fear they may discourage others from adopting.

Interestingly, and very relevant, the thoughts and feelings of adult adoptees also tend to parallel those of adoptive parents. Should I celebrate my adoption or would I be celebrating my loss? Should I advocate for adoption when I know how difficult it has been for me?

I think the trouble comes when we forget that adoption always begins with a profound loss. You cannot take something that intimately connected with grief and pretend it will always be associated with joy. Only telling one side of the story creates a harmful and false narrative for adoptees and parents alike.

So this month, if you want to celebrate adoption, celebrate adoption. If you want to advocate for adoption, advocate for adoption (especially for teens and sibling groups). But be willing to at least hold space for other parts of the story. For the sad parts, and the angry parts, and the confused parts, and the scared parts. Listen to adoptees, to adoptive parents, and to biological parents when they share the not so beautiful ways they have been touched by adoption. Because it doesn’t always feel like a gift.

And frankly, it shouldn’t.”

10/27/2018