Adoption Wise

Do you feel frustrated when your kids won’t just go play? And what about the bins of Legos and awesome craft supplies? Why won’t they play with them?

Or, do you see playful moms and wish you could be more like them? Lisa and Melissa both do!

In this episode, Lisa interviews Melissa about play. Melissa has done her research and shares great information that will help you view play in new ways. You'll also gain insight into your kids and yourself.

Relevant Resources and Links:

Books (affiliate links):

Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown

Attaching Through Love, Hugs and Play: Simple Strategies to Help Build Connections with Your Child by Deborah Gray

The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Kranowitz

*If you're already on our email list, you automatically receive each week's download in our Quick Connection email.

Do you feel frustrated when your kids won’t just go play? And what about the bins of Legos and awesome craft supplies? Why won’t they play with them?

Or, do you see playful moms and wish you could be more like them? Lisa and Melissa both do!

In this episode, Lisa interviews Melissa about play. Melissa has done her research and shares great information that will help you view play in new ways. You'll also gain insight into your kids and yourself.

Relevant Resources and Links:

Books (affiliate links):

Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown

Attaching Through Love, Hugs and Play: Simple Strategies to Help Build Connections with Your Child by Deborah Gray

The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Kranowitz

Download a Play Guide

Play develops in stages like any other skill. Learn about the Stages of Play Development as well as the Play Personalities in this free guide.

*If you're already on our email list, you automatically receive each week's download in our Quick Connection email.

Do you feel frustrated when your kids won’t just go play? And what about the bins of Legos and awesome craft supplies? Why won’t they play with them?

Or, do you see playful moms and wish you could be more like them? Lisa and Melissa both do!

In this episode, Lisa interviews Melissa about play. Melissa has done her research and shares great information that will help you view play in new ways. You'll also gain insight into your kids and yourself.

Relevant Resources and Links:

Books (affiliate links):

Play: How it Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul by Stuart Brown

Attaching Through Love, Hugs and Play: Simple Strategies to Help Build Connections with Your Child by Deborah Gray

The Out-of-Sync Child Has Fun by Carol Kranowitz

*If you're already on our email list, you automatically receive each week's download in our Quick Connection email.

A lot of parents check certain boxes looking for a "lower risk" adoption. The thought is that the younger a child comes to you, the "easier" it will be because less has happened to the child.

Sometimes parents of children adopted as newborns do not recognize challenging behaviors as due to trauma. Children often go misdiagnosed or the parents mistakenly think that it's all their fault.

If you adopted an infant or are looking to adopt a newborn, don't miss this interview with Rebecca Vahle.

Rebecca Vahle is the Founder and Director of Training and Curriculum Development for the Family to Family Support Network (FFSN), a pro-education, non-profit organization. FFSN began as the Family to Family Adoption Support Network Program at Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker, Colorado in 2004. The program, created by Rebecca, was the first hospital-based adoption support program in the nation and has been recognized as defining best practice in handling the complex, emotional and logistical needs present in infant adoptions in the hospital setting. In 2015, FFSN was created to share and expand the program and care model into hospitals nationwide with the goal of educating healthcare professionals on the complexities of serving all unique families and empowering hospitals to be a hub of resources to connect families early in pregnancy with needed community resources.

Links Relevant to this episode:

Family to Family Support Network website

FFSN FB page

Lisa and Melissa answer this reader question:

What should I look for when seeking a mental health professional to work with our family?

If you have a holiday survival tip to share, leave a comment below or, better yet, leave a message on our listener feedback line at 208-741-3880.

[FREE DOWNLOAD] What to Look for in a Mental Health Professional

A lot of parents check certain boxes looking for a "lower risk" adoption. The thought is that the younger a child comes to you, the "easier" it will be because less has happened to the child.

Sometimes parents of children adopted as newborns do not recognize challenging behaviors as due to trauma. Children often go misdiagnosed or the parents mistakenly think that it's all their fault.

If you adopted an infant or are looking to adopt a newborn, don't miss this interview with Rebecca Vahle.

Rebecca Vahle is the Founder and Director of Training and Curriculum Development for the Family to Family Support Network (FFSN), a pro-education, non-profit organization. FFSN began as the Family to Family Adoption Support Network Program at Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker, Colorado in 2004. The program, created by Rebecca, was the first hospital-based adoption support program in the nation and has been recognized as defining best practice in handling the complex, emotional and logistical needs present in infant adoptions in the hospital setting. In 2015, FFSN was created to share and expand the program and care model into hospitals nationwide with the goal of educating healthcare professionals on the complexities of serving all unique families and empowering hospitals to be a hub of resources to connect families early in pregnancy with needed community resources.

Links Relevant to this episode:

Family to Family Support Network website

FFSN FB page

Lisa and Melissa answer this reader question:

What should I look for when seeking a mental health professional to work with our family?

If you have a holiday survival tip to share, leave a comment below or, better yet, leave a message on our listener feedback line at 208-741-3880.

[FREE DOWNLOAD] What to Look for in a Mental Health Professional

*If you're already on our email list, you automatically receive each week's download in our Quick Connection email.

A lot of parents check certain boxes looking for a "lower risk" adoption. The thought is that the younger a child comes to you, the "easier" it will be because less has happened to the child.

Sometimes parents of children adopted as newborns do not recognize challenging behaviors as due to trauma. Children often go misdiagnosed or the parents mistakenly think that it's all their fault.

If you adopted an infant or are looking to adopt a newborn, don't miss this interview with Rebecca Vahle.

Rebecca Vahle is the Founder and Director of Training and Curriculum Development for the Family to Family Support Network (FFSN), a pro-education, non-profit organization. FFSN began as the Family to Family Adoption Support Network Program at Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker, Colorado in 2004. The program, created by Rebecca, was the first hospital-based adoption support program in the nation and has been recognized as defining best practice in handling the complex, emotional and logistical needs present in infant adoptions in the hospital setting. In 2015, FFSN was created to share and expand the program and care model into hospitals nationwide with the goal of educating healthcare professionals on the complexities of serving all unique families and empowering hospitals to be a hub of resources to connect families early in pregnancy with needed community resources.

Links Relevant to this episode:

Family to Family Support Network website

FFSN FB page

Lisa and Melissa answer this reader question:

What should I look for when seeking a mental health professional to work with our family?

If you have a holiday survival tip to share, leave a comment below or, better yet, leave a message on our listener feedback line at 208-741-3880.

What to Look for in a Mental Health Professional

A lot of parents know that they need the guidance of a therapist, counselor, psychiatrist, or psychologist, but are unsure where to start looking. Some parents may know what they ideally want, but are having trouble finding someone who fits the bill. Download this free guide for help when seeking out a mental health professional to work with your family.

*If you're already on our email list, you automatically receive each week's download in our Quick Connection email.

A lot of parents check certain boxes looking for a "lower risk" adoption. The thought is that the younger a child comes to you, the "easier" it will be because less has happened to the child.

Sometimes parents of children adopted as newborns do not recognize challenging behaviors as due to trauma. Children often go misdiagnosed or the parents mistakenly think that it's all their fault.

If you adopted an infant or are looking to adopt a newborn, don't miss this interview with Rebecca Vahle.

Rebecca Vahle is the Founder and Director of Training and Curriculum Development for the Family to Family Support Network (FFSN), a pro-education, non-profit organization. FFSN began as the Family to Family Adoption Support Network Program at Parker Adventist Hospital in Parker, Colorado in 2004. The program, created by Rebecca, was the first hospital-based adoption support program in the nation and has been recognized as defining best practice in handling the complex, emotional and logistical needs present in infant adoptions in the hospital setting. In 2015, FFSN was created to share and expand the program and care model into hospitals nationwide with the goal of educating healthcare professionals on the complexities of serving all unique families and empowering hospitals to be a hub of resources to connect families early in pregnancy with needed community resources.

Links Relevant to this episode:

Family to Family Support Network website

FFSN FB page

Lisa and Melissa answer this reader question:

What should I look for when seeking a mental health professional to work with our family?

If you have a holiday survival tip to share, leave a comment below or, better yet, leave a message on our listener feedback line at 208-741-3880.

[FREE DOWNLOAD] What to Look for in a Mental Health Professional

*If you're already on our email list, you automatically receive each week's download in our Quick Connection email.

Do you have teens or young adults? We get more questions about parenting this group than any other. We both currently have teens at home and have launched several of our young adults.

Parenting teens and young adults has unique rewards and challenges, especially when our teens have experienced trauma and adverse experiences. We’ve learned from our mistakes and successes.

In the end, it all comes down to one key thing and we can’t wait to tell you about it.

Don’t miss this episode about parenting with the future in mind!

Additional posts about parenting teens and young adults

Older Child Adoption | What I Would Have Done Differently

10 Disastrous Mistakes Parents Make in Older Child Adoption

Older Child Adoption | What We Did Right

More Lessons in Older Child Adoption

12 Practical Tips for Parenting Teens

A Three-Point Plan for Parenting Middle Schoolers

Do you have teens or young adults? We get more questions about parenting this group than any other. We both currently have teens at home and have launched several of our young adults.

Parenting teens and young adults has unique rewards and challenges, especially when our teens have experienced trauma and adverse experiences. We’ve learned from our mistakes and successes.

In the end, it all comes down to one key thing and we can’t wait to tell you about it.

Don’t miss this episode about parenting with the future in mind!

Additional posts about parenting teens and young adults

Older Child Adoption | What I Would Have Done Differently

10 Disastrous Mistakes Parents Make in Older Child Adoption

Older Child Adoption | What We Did Right

More Lessons in Older Child Adoption

12 Practical Tips for Parenting Teens

A Three-Point Plan for Parenting Middle Schoolers

Do you have teens or young adults? We get more questions about parenting this group than any other. We both currently have teens at home and have launched several of our young adults.

Parenting teens and your adults has unique rewards and challenges, especially when our teens have experienced trauma and adverse experiences. We’ve learned from our mistakes and successes.

In the end, it all comes down to one key thing and we can’t wait to tell you about it.

Don’t miss this episode about parenting with the future in mind!

Additional posts about parenting teens and young adults

Older Child Adoption | What I Would Have Done Differently

10 Disastrous Mistakes Parents Make in Older Child Adoption

Older Child Adoption | What We Did Right

More Lessons in Older Child Adoption

12 Practical Tips for Parenting Teens

A Three-Point Plan for Parenting Middle Schoolers