Breakfast with Santa

Program Updates

We received 2 PA’s and 2 TA’s this week for China Waiting Children families.

We have 12 families currently in China and doing well.  Travel started out rather rocky for some of these families due to snow delays in the US.  Air travel is always subject to delays, but especially now during the winter months when weather can create delays and missed connections.   When planning travel, we always make sure there is at least a one day buffer so that such delays don’t upset a family’s adoption itinerary.

Other Information

Last Saturday, our Evansville office hosted the 2^nd annual Breakfast with Santa and invited all our local families to come join us.  I’m posting photos of some of the children as they met with Santa and his elves.  (To see the photos, please go directly to the blog at:  http://ftiachina.blogspot.com   Thanks to all the families that came out to see us!

Continuing on with our 10 part series of sharing the Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know:

The concept for week 9 is to Provide lots of structure and nurturing.  Define roles in parent responses.  For example – “My job as your mother is to……. and your job is to……..” Children from difficult places need calm, secure rules (both formal and informal), role definitions, their unacceptable behavior to be stopped, an invitation for your child to experience things he/she finds challenging. Nurturing will include lots of rocking, holding, snuggling, healthy touches, positive eye contact, perhaps co-sleeping with young children, and using an article of clothing as a transition object.  65% of all interaction is social/emotional!

If you have any questions about the concepts presented or would like to talk in more detail please contact cscheller@ftia.org.   As a reminder, we will be hosting a webinar on January 6^th, 2011 entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know.  Registration information to come.