Blog

Here's a link to several great downloads I'm adding to the Parenting with ACEs resource section. I've attached one of the five so you can get an idea of content and visuals. The downloads are all free and if you want colorful handouts those are available for purchase.

This is a gut-wrenching quote. “I am faced with a situation that you really cannot speak about and manage as a parent, as you feel that you should as a citizen,” Tucker said. Keith Pemberton, a social worker from High Point, N.C., is a member of Omega Psi Phi — a historically black fraternity with more than 700 chapters worldwide — and the father of three boys, ages 11, 8 and 6. “My wife and I really want to build into them a sense of possibility, of purpose. So, it is beyond disheartening...

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development U.S. Department of Education Policy Statement on Meeting the Needs of Families with Young Children Experiencing and At Risk of Homelessness October 31, 2016 Excerpt from the report : Recent data indicate that among persons who seek shelter because they are homeless in the United States, the age group most likely to experience homelessness includes newborns or infants in the first year of life, and...

I was leaving the house on the way to do something brand new and scary a few weeks ago. My two close friends, Heidi and Kathy, both sent me a text. One has an ACE score of 10. One has a below 4 score. The text from Kathy reminded me that I am loved and safe. She sent me a sticky note with affirmations and attempted to calm my nerves by reminding me that humans are caring and curious and want to know what others have to say. The other text was from Heidi. It said, "Beast mode today." That was...

This is a speech Jeanette gave at the Schuyler Center as part of a panel on innovations in child welfare reform. Today I will talk to you about what’s needed in child welfare reform from a parent’s perspective. That is voice—parents having a powerful voice in their cases and in the system. Today I will speak to you about four ways you can give parents a voice to be heard: Help parents see that the child welfare system wants to help families—through prevention programs. Give parents a parent...

Thanks to Corinna West I learned about this new interview series which is part of the Rethinking Mental Health column in Psychology Today by Eric Maisel, Ph.D. Here is the article schedule with live links to the pieces which have already been published.

I just heard about an amazing 3-day workshop coming to CA in 2017. It's led by a trauma survivor who is also a trauma-sensitive trained yoga teacher. Her name is Zabie Yamasak and she's the founder of Transcending Sexual Violence Through Yoga. I interviewed Zabie a few years ago when writing a series of profiles about trauma survivors who have created non-traditional healing programs for other trauma survivors. This workshop includes yoga, hiking, massage and reflection. It's inaccessible...

I love a short video clips that educational and entertaining. Have you seen any of these by Sara Langworthy? Her website has more.

My home was flooded just weeks before my divorce was final. The ocean spilled over the sea wall and headed down the street carrying telephone poles, patio furniture and boat parts. It was 2 a.m. and I was in my bedroom with the cat as my daughter was with her father on one of her first overnights. I was knee deep in despair. And fear. The ocean pooled around my stairs, foundations and car. Outside, the flood would take my blue Subaru, dog fence and air conditioner. Inside, it was thr heating...

Few things challenge my attention span more than sleep deprivation or anxiety. Combine both with with parenting babies or toddlers and retaining anything at all is unlikely. It's why I love videos. I discovered some short, warm and accessible ones today done by mother and author, Ann Douglas, on the www.havingababy.com website. Her videos are only a minute long and geared towards parents of infants, toddlers and kids in grade school. I would have loved these when my daughter was younger.

File this under kindness matters only every single time. And for lots of people, most especially, at this time of year. Excerpt from "Dear Laurie" post written by the same Heidi written about in this piece. I came in for a shift one night and she said, “oh” (nonchalant) “I picked up that doll you wanted.” She bought the doll and brought it in. For me. She saw it, knew I was looking for it, and picked it up for me. I was moved. I didn’t have a lot of people in my life. At all. All I did was...

As urgently reported by the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI), “On December 23, 2016, the fee for the form to request a U.S Certificate of Citizenship for adopted children (form N-600 / N-600K ) is [more than] doubling from $550 to $1,170. Anyone who files an adoption application or petition on or after December 23rd will have to pay the new amount.” The fee to replace a lost COC (form N-565 ) is also rising, from $345 to $555. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services...