Updates

This week we received 5 LOA’s and 1 PA!  We have 4 families leaving for China next week.    We have one family that is currently making plans for travel in April. 

The Trade Fair in Guangzhou will only affect the prices at the White Swan for the nights of April 22-27, so travel isn’t turning out to be too difficult for April.  Also in April is Tomb Sweeping Day, which will be an official holiday for April 4-5. 

We are moving next week!  

We will be relocating to

401 SE 6th Street, Suite 202, Evansville, Indiana 47713

. Our physical address will change, but our phone numbers, emails, etc. will remain the same.  We will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16th for the move and reopen on Monday, March 21st. During the move, on Thursday, March 17 & Friday, March 18, we will have our main phone line forwarded to a cell phone for emergency calls. During our move, we will have limited email access, but regular email access will resume by Monday, March 21. In addition, you may be unable to access MyFTIA during the move, but it will likely be available by the end of the work day, Friday, March 18. 

Effective March 18, our mailing address will be

401 SE 6th Street, Suite 202, Evansville, Indiana 47713

.  Please be sure to take note of this if you are planning on sending any packages to us during this time frame.  The courier services will not forward packages to the new address without an additional fee.

We are Moving!

Referrals came out the end of February for families up to LID of 6/9/2006.  Although FTIA didn’t have any families in this group, the good news is that they covered a whole week of LID dates!

A new shared list also came out, but it was a very small list and we had no successful matches.  We have been able to match another one of our Jing Yi children this week!  No word yet on when we will be receiving more files for this program.

This week we received 4 TAs and 1 PA!  We have 4 families preparing to travel to China to meet their new children on March 16^th. 

Best wishes for these families! 

WE ARE MOVING!  

We will be relocating to

401 SE 6th Street, Suite 202, Evansville, Indiana 47713

. Our physical address will change, but our phone numbers, emails, etc. will remain the same.  We will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16th for the move and reopen on Monday, March 21st. During the move, on Thursday, March 17 & Friday, March 18, we will have our main phone line forwarded to a cell phone for emergency calls. During our move, we will have limited email access, but regular email access will resume by Monday, March 21. In addition, you may be unable to access MyFTIA during the move, but it will likely be available by the end of the work day, Friday, March 18. 

Effective March 18, our mailing address will be

401 SE 6th Street, Suite 202, Evansville, Indiana 47713

.  Please be sure to take note of this if you are planning on sending any packages to us during this time frame.  The courier services will not forward packages to the new address without an additional fee.

Connecting Your Family Inside and Out – A Webinar

Secure parent-child attachments are essential to healthy child development, but often adoption can present challenges to the process. Join world renowned attachment expert Dr. Dan Hughes as he shares family centered strategies on how parents can connect to their child as a toddler, tween and teen.Dr. Hughes will be joined by Lynn Wetterberg, Executive Director of ATTACh. Lynn will discuss finding attachment related resources and provide information on finding adoption competent professional support.

• Advice on connecting with your child throughout their development
• Expert insights into attachment and attunement
• Information on finding professional support and resources
• Question and Answer session

Registrants will be contacted and asked to submit questions prior to the event. We will address as many questions as time will allow.

Speakers:
 

Dr. Dan Hughes, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of children who have experienced attachment disorganization, abuse, neglect and childhood trauma. Dr. Hughes developed Attachment-Focused Family Therapy (AFFT), a treatment model used frequently in attachment therapy. He is the author of Facilitating Developmental Attachment (1997), Building the Bonds of Attachment (2006) and Attachment-Focused Family Therapy (2007).


  Lynn Wetterberg, M.S., C.P.A. is the Executive Director of the Association for Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children (ATTACh), a national organization of clinicians, advocates and parents of attachment disordered children.
 

Tuesday, March 8, 2011
 
7:00-8:00 PM Central Time

Q&A: 8:00 - 8:30 PM Central Time
 
Cost $15

Register Now: click here

Red Couch Photo

These children will be heading home tomorrow.  The boy in the middle was happy until his parents sat him down with the girls!  (If you are reading this from the yahoo group, please go to our blog at ftiachina.blogspot.com to see the picture.)

Changes from the US Consulate in Guangzhou

The Consulate has announced changes that will be beneficial for families!

The changes below will take effect February 28, 2011.

Consulate Appointments

The family interview appointments will now be available on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.  The document intake process will be combined with the oath swearing ceremony during those mornings, which will allow a faster turn-around time for the child’s visa.  The visa will be issued late afternoon of the day following the consulate appointment, which means that families will now be able to leave Guangzhou one day earlier (the 2nd day after Consulate appointment instead of the 3^rd)!

There will be approximately 12 appointments allowed for every time slot during these mornings.  Families are asked to limit the people attending their appointment to just the adoptive parents and the newly adopted child as there will be limited space.  The coordinator will be able to assist families prior to their interview, but will not be allowed to accompany them during the interview.

DS230 Submissions and Pick Ups

The above changes to the Consulate appointments will allow the Consulate to expand their times for the drop-off of DS230 packages and subsequent pick-up of the LSC/Article 5 letters.   Couriers will now be able to drop off and pick up these items on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons.   It will still take the Consulate 10 business days for this process.   For our families, this will mean that your DS230 can now be delivered to the Consulate on  Tuesday or Wednesday (instead of having to wait for Thursday) after it is sent from our US office.  Your Article 5 will then typically be available for pick up by our courier the same week day 2 weeks later (or 10 business days if holidays are involved).

Referrals and new program information

Referrals came earlier this month for two of our families both with a LID of 5/30/06.  Their new children were both girls from the Gansu province, born in December of 2009.  Congratulations to the new families!  The last group of referrals went through June 2, 2006 LIDs, which means those families waited 56 months from the time their dossiers were logged in until the time they received their referrals. 

We currently have 3 regular China and 2 Waiting Children families in China that are scheduled to return the end of next week.

Information on our new waiting child program, called Jing Yi Program, is up on our website now.  To find out more about this program and to see information on the children currently available in this program, please go to our website at:  http://www.ftia.org/waitingchildren/JingYiProgram.asp

The Chinese Consulate will be using a new form for families to obtain their visas, effective June 1st.  The new form is now 4 pages long, however it’s not yet up on their website.  For now, you can find the new form here:  http://big5.fmprc.gov.cn/gate/big5/www.chinaconsulatechicago.org/chn/qzhz/qz/P020110127196754166806.pdf

"Oil and Water: The Attachment Disordered Child in School" by Lawrence B Smith L.C.S.W. - C., L.I.C.S.W., is a great resource full of strategies and ideas for you and your child's teachers.  You can find this article, courtesy of EMK Press here:
http://www.emkpress.com/oilandwater.html

Happy Year of the Rabbit!

Today is the official New Years Day in China.  All businesses are shut down as families return to their homes to celebrate the start of a new year.  Before shutting down for the holiday, the CCAA sent out referrals and they arrived in our office on Wednesday.  FTIA’s referrals went to families with a log-in date of May 30, 2006.  Congratulations to those happy families that waited so long for their new children!!

This New Year, according to the Chinese zodiac, will be the year of the Rabbit.   The year of the Rabbit is thought to be a calming year, since it follows the aggressive Tiger year.  The Rabbit is traditionally associated with home and family, artistic pursuits, diplomacy and keeping the peace.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!!!  Happy New Year to You!

Red Couch Photo and Chinese New Years

We have four families coming home this week from China with their newest family members.  Here they are on the infamous red couch!  (Note: if you are reading this from the yahoo group, please go to the blog at   ftiachina.blogspot.com to view this photo.)  We will have 4 families leaving for China right after Chinese New Year.

This week a new shared list of waiting children came out and we had 3 successful matched and they’ve all received their PAs!  We also received another PA this week, making a total of 4.  Congratulations to these families on being one step closer to their new children!

For those of you that adopted in 2010, here is an informative video explaining the Adoption Tax Credit:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQryETwRziA&feature=youtu.be&a

Next week will be the start of the Chinese New Year holiday in China.  Most offices in China will be closed from February 2nd through the 9^th.

Xin Nian Kuai Le!!!!!  (Happy Chinese New Year!!!!!)

Red Couch Photo & 6 TAs!

Three families came home this weekend, and here they are posing on the famous red couch! (If you are reading this from yahoo, please go to ftiachina.blogspot.com to view.)

Also today we received 6 TA's!!!  Two are for waiting children families and four for regular China families.  Congratulations!

Program Updates

Program Updates

This week we received one TA for a Waiting Children family

We have 4 families that are headed to China this coming week to meet their newest children.  We wish them the best on their journey!  We have 3 families currently in China that have met their children and are doing well.

Journey of Information

Be sure to check out Jimmy with our Journey of Hope program.  Jimmy wasn’t included on the original list of children as his file wasn’t yet prepared when we visited the province.  Jimmy is 9 years old with mild developmental delays.  There is a video linked to our website that shows him performing during the Journey of Hope program. 

We’ve also appointed Sunny as our new A Child’s Plea child, meaning that FTIA will waive our agency fees for the family adopting her.  Sunny will lose her chance to be adopted if she doesn’t have a family by September when she turns 14.  You can learn more about Sunny & Jimmy on our website under the Journey of Hope program at this link: http://www.ftia.org/waitingchildren/JOHList.asp 

New Program Information

Posted on our yahoo groups this week was an announcement about our new China Waiting Child program in Guizhou province.   We will be sharing more information on this program on our website and this blog in the near future.  Please be sure to watch for it.

Happy New Year!

Program Updates

Last week we received one LOA & one TA for Waiting Children families.   This week we’ve received 2 PA’s – both for Journey of Hope children!

 LOA’s seem to be coming quicker for China Waiting Children families.  For families that have had their dossier logged in for several months before they submit their LOI, the LOA has been coming in about a month or less after their PA.  For families that have PA before submitting their dossier, the LOA has been coming between 1-2 months from the time of LID. 

Last week we received 3 referrals for families with LID of May 29, 2006.  The children are from Jiangsu province, ages 8-12 months, and are 2 boys and 1 girl!  The 2 boys were for families that had put their gender preference as “either.”

A new shared list also came out last week and so far we’ve had one LOI submitted for a child on this list.

We have 3 families that are headed to China this week to meet their newest children in the New Year.  We wish them the best on their journey!

Important Information

The adoption tax credit was extended through December 31, 2012.  The refundability of the tax credit will remain in effect for 2011; however it will not be available for 2012 adoptions.  Also it’s our understanding that the adoption tax credits carried forward from previous years will also be refundable, which means that families who adopted as far back as 2005 but who didn’t have enough tax liability to use their entire credit can take advantage of the credit with their 2010 return.  For further information, we suggest you consult with a tax accountant.

Other Information

Remember that our office will be closed on December 30 and 31 for the New Year holiday.  We will be back next year on January 3^rd!

 A new film, Change of Plans, will air January 8th 8/7c on FOX.  This is a pro-adoption film supported by Moms4FamilyTV.  This heart-warming, funny film surrounds a married couple with no kids, who--through unfortunate events –ends up adopting 4 kids from Africa, Asia, and South America. The film reveals how fulfilling life can be when you look beyond your own plans and invest in the lives of others.  You can watch the trailer for this film at:  Change of Plans - Trailer

We’d like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and look forward to more referrals in 2011!

Happy (busy) Holidays!

Program Updates

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

This week we have 8 regular China program families and 4 China Waiting Children families returning home with their newest family members.  We hope the children all make an easy adjustment to their new family life.   See my previous blog for the “red couch” photo of this group.

We also have 4 families heading to China at the end of the year and 1 so far in January. 

We have been told that the next group of regular China referrals have been mailed & anticipate their arrival on Monday, but don’t know yet what LID’s these referrals will cover.  Our next LID group is May 26, 2006.

A new list of shared files will be released on December 21^st, which will be Monday night for us.  

Other Information

For the holiday season, our office will be closed December 23-26 and December 30-January 2.  Should any families be matched with children on the shared list during this time, we will be available to assist them.

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

This is the final post in the ten week series of  Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know, which was developed by Richard Sudsberry, MA, LMFT, LMHC, who is a clinician specializing in attachment and children.  As a reminder, we will be hosting a webinar on January 6^th, 2011 entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know.  Registration is limited and the invitation to register will be coming by email early next week.

The last concept is Playfulness.  Be an interesting parent.  Playfulness fosters innocence, innocence fosters vulnerability, and vulnerability fosters emotional regulation and cooperation in relationships.  The holidays present a perfect time for playfulness.  Enjoy the snow, time with family, and the joy this season brings.

We hope you will join us for the webinar!

Happy Holidays!

Betty

Red Couch Photo

Twelve families will be coming home this week with their new children!  Congratulations to the families and we wish them safe travels home. (To view the photo, go to our blog at ftiachina.blogspot.com)

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.

It's already December!

Program Updates

We currently have 12 families in China that have just met their newest children.  We hope they are making many pleasant memories.

Since our last post we received 5 PA’s and 2 LOA’s for China Waiting Children families.  Three of those PA’s were for children on our Special Focus list. 

No word yet on when the next group of non-special needs referrals will come out.

Important Program Changes

The CCAA recently came out with new information on their ruling for families interested in adopting 2 children in the same year.  For families that have already completed an adoption in the past year, they may now identify a Special Focus child and if they submit their Letter of Intent for that child within a year of their last adoption, they will be able to use a copy of their old dossier for this adoption!  The family will need to update their home study, update their CIS approval and submit a new Petition Letter, but will not have to update any of their other dossier documents. 

The Adoption Simplification Act became law on November 30.  This allows families that are Hague and are adopting a child 10 years old or younger to now sign a waiver for the child’s immunizations in China.  This comes as great news for children that could have been facing receiving numerous vaccinations at their medical exam in China.  The waiver form (DS-1981) must be signed and notarized and submitted at the time of their consulate appointment.  The current form will be revised in the future to indicate that it does apply to Hague cases, but will be accepted until that time.  It can be found at http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/80002.pdf

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

Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, I’ve combined two weeks of this series below:

I really like the concept for week 7.  Celebrate for who the child is and what he/she does. Try to create 20 celebrations for each criticism.  Celebrate the child for what he/she does right.  Some days that may mean you will need to really look for those things and even celebrate the small stuff.  The celebrations might include high fives, knuckle bumps, hugs, or affirming touches that matures affection, adult to child.  You may even make a celebration day that includes going to get ice cream because “You are such an amazing kid.”

The concept for week #8 is the understanding that for children from difficult places, we need to see resistance, aggression, attention needing behaviors, and compulsive actions and attitudes as stress or fear states – NOT MISBEHAVIORS. The understanding is larger than the expectations.  Children need lots of empathy and compassion about fears.  We need to acknowledge and accept fears, don’t dismiss them.  Help your child take small steps at facing their fears over time.  Children from difficult places need parent acceptance of feelings in the face of what makes them fearful…often masked as hurt (withdrawal), anger (aggression) or anxiety (compulsive) behaviors.

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 entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know at the end of this series (January 2010).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Program Updates

This week we received one Travel Approval for a China Waiting Child.  This family will be joining the group that is leaving on December 1^st.

A new list of shared files of waiting children will be posted by CCAA on Tuesday, November 23^rd.  No word yet on the next group of the non-special needs China referrals.

The International Adoption Simplification Act passed House approval on Monday.  This law will now go into effect when the President signs it, or if not signed, will be effective 10 days after it lands on his desk.  This law will allow all Hague families to sign an immunization waiver promising that they will have their newly adopted child immunized in the U.S. and eliminate the need for children to have all of their immunizations done before leaving China.  This is great news for the older adoptive children who often have to receive several immunizations at the time of their medical exam in Guangzhou.

Journey of Hope and Special Focus Update

Our first Journey of Hope child is coming home the week before Christmas!   We wish her and her family safe travels and an easy adjustment period.

Other Information

FTIA offices will be closed November 24-26 for the Thanksgiving holiday.

There will also be no blog postings next week. 

Here’s a great offer on one of my favorite adoption books:  http://www.emkpress.com/adoptparent15sw.html  I often find articles from this book to send to families regarding a variety of situations.

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

On week #6 - we focus on Developing rituals that organize meaning for the child:

1.      Greet your child into the day.  For example, when waking your child in the morning you might say “I can’t wait to see your beautiful brown eyes open!”

2.      Spend time in their world of play.  As mentioned in previous weeks, it is important to spend at least 30 minutes each day playing with your child.

3.      Create calming, soothing rituals that relax them into sleep. Depending on your child’s age, this might mean reading a book, giving a lotion massage, talking about the day’s events, snuggling while listening to music.  Whatever the routine, it should be consistent and calming.

This concept is giving attention to the child on the parent’s terms…greeting the child into the day, narrowing the child’s world to what they can handle, developing rituals of experience that help the child anticipate parents, and learn to perceive themselves through parent perceptions.

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 entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know at the end of this series (December 2010).

During this time, I am reminding of how thankful I am to have been blessed by adoption.  I hope everyone enjoys a great Thanksgiving holiday!

 Betty

Approvals This Week

Program Updates

This week we received 3 PA’s (pre-approvals) and 1 LOA (letter of acceptance) for China Waiting Children families. 

We have also finalized travel plans for 11 families (8 with the regular program and 3 with CWC program) that will be leaving on December 1^st to meet their new children.

Journey of Hope and Special Focus Update

Drew and Tina from Journey of Hope, as well as Landon and Liam from Special Focus are on hold and will hopefully have Letters of Intent submitted for them soon.

Other Information

The CCAA orphanage donation has been set at 35,000 RMB for some time now.  With the US currency exchange rate worsening, we are finding this now translates to $5,345 in US dollars (up from $5,224).

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

#5:   The concept for week five is to allow your child to experience consequences. This means consequences not punishments….consequences that are congruent with the child’s actions.  Help your child face the results of the actions (cause and effect thinking), all the while maintaining a loving acceptance of the child.  Come along side of your child with perspective and use it as a teachable moment.  For example, if your child forgets his home work at school, you might retrieve it the first time and explain what might have happened if the home work wasn’t retrieved.  This gives the child a chance to think about the consequences.  If the child forgets the homework a second time, perhaps you don’t retrieve the homework from school and have her/him face the consequences for the action. “Cause and effect” thinking is a great concept to teach children at an early age – as it is something we use all day, every day.

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 entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know at the end of this series (December 2010).

Happy National Adoption Month!

Program Updates

We received 3 more TA’s, this time for China Waiting Children families, so they will be joining the 8 other families leaving on December 1^st!  What a great holiday these families will have!

We also received 2 LOA’s this week.

New referrals went out through the regular China program for families with LID’s through May 23, 2006.  Since our next LID group is May 26, 2006, we did not receive referrals this time.

Special Focus Update

Two girls from our Special Focus program have families that have committed to them.  Congratulations to “Amy” and “Lexi” and their new families!

Other Information

November is National Adoption Month!  Here’s one of my favorite quotes:

From Radical by David Platt :
"...orphans are easier to ignore before you know their names.
They are easier to ignore before you see their faces.
It is easier to pretend they're not real before you hold them
in your arms.
But once you do, everything changes."

The CDC (Center for Disease Control) has launched a new resource page for adoption health issues on their website.  You can find this at: http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/adoption

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

#4:   It is important to Keep perspective beyond the child’s difficult moments -  Perceiving the mind of the child within and beyond the child’s behavior.  Only give a 30 to 60 second lecture (we generally lose their attention after that)…..addressing unacceptable behavior, stopping it, and providing acceptance beyond correction.  This sounds so simple, but can be very difficult to follow through with.  It may take some practice. 

Sometimes, it is best for Mom or Dad to take time and think before addressing unacceptable behavior.  It can also be better for your child.  If your child is very upset, she/he may be unable to comprehend what you are saying.  It is actually more effective to wait until your child is calm to discuss the behavior.

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 entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know at the end of this series (December 2010).

Red Couch Photo

Here's Emma Grace on the red couch!  She seems happy to be coming home with her new family tomorrow!  (To view the photo, go to our blog at ftiachina.blogspot.com)

TA’s, and PA’s and LOA’s – Oh My!!!

Program Updates

Yes, this week we received TA’s for 8 families that received referrals last month through the regular China program.   These families will be traveling December 1st and bringing home their new daughters just in time for Christmas!

Also, we received 2 PA’s and 2 LOA’s for China Waiting Children program!    And we’re very happy to announce that Lexi and Amy from our Special Focus program have both found their families.

We have one family currently in China that has met their new daughter and is doing fine.

Halloween News

If your little goblins are going out to Trick-Or-Treat on Sunday, we though you might be interested in this article on Halloween safety tips:

http://www.iyi.org/resources/doc/Peyton-Manning-Childrens-Hospital-Halloween-Safety-Tips.pdf

Other Information

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

The concept for week #3 is Emotional Joining.  Emotional joining………..being happy, sad, angry with the child in his or her feelings.  This is labeling feelings aloud.  Be happy with the child -  not just for him.  Be sad with your child - not just for him.  An example of how you might do this is when your child expresses sadness over not being included in a game at school; you might say “That makes me sad for you too.”  “I bet you felt really bad when that happened”.  Use this opportunity to name the feelings that are associated with the experience (sad, a bit mad, lonely, etc.). This is especially important for children who are not able to identify emotions well and for young children to help them understand what they are feeling. Don’t forget to share solutions or ideas about how to handle the situation, should it arise again.

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 entitled Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know at the end of this series.

Happy Halloween!

New Shared List!

Program Updates

Five families returned home this week with their newest family additions; while one more headed to China to meet their new child. 

A new list of shared files for waiting children was posted Tuesday night and our Beijing staff was able to match some of our families. 

Other Information

Good news for those adopting in 2010!!  The adoption tax credit was raised to $13,170 per child and was made refundable.  This means that eligible taxpayers can get the credit even if they owe no tax for the year!  To learn more, go to the IRS website at:  http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=228301,00.html

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

This week we introduce Concept #2 Attunement – Parents setting their feelings and reactions aside, to perceive the child’s behavior through the child’s eyes.  Parents should try to state the child’s needs to him/her without judgment, but with perspective.  A common example of this might be when your child wants your attention and may engage in behavior to get your attention, such as hitting, interrupting a conversation, or intentionally doing something that is not acceptable. In this case, an example of attunement may be to say to your child, “I think you need me to…..” rather than saying “You know you are not supposed to interrupt when I’m talking”.  We want to recognize and acknowledge the child’s needs, not focus on the behavior.  This can be especially challenging for parents.  Put this concept to work this week and see what type of response you get from your child!

The Ten Things Adoptive Parents Need to Know was developed by Richard Sudsberry, MA, LMFT, LMHC, who is a clinician specializing in attachment and children.  At the conclusion of these ten weeks, Rick will host a webinar for our families to answer questions and have more in-depth discussion about the ideas or concepts that we have shared.