This weekend I made a variation on what Patty Cogen (Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child) calls "the three-photo story." The point of this book is to show your children's life before adoption, during their transition, and with their adoptive family. You use the book to answer the question, "What happened to me?"
I called the book "A and D's Story; YeA inna yeD Tarikachew." It starts out with pictures of Burji and says that A and D lived in this beautiful place with their family who loved them very much. Then it has pictures that were taken soon after they entered the orphanage and says that something very bad happened and they were very sad. The next page has photos of us meeting them in November and it says that they had a new family who loved them very much. Then there's a picture of an airplane. There are a few pages of pictures of where they are going in the U.S. The book ends by saying that the boys now have two families who love them very much. I wrote a very simple text in English and this week our tutors will help me translate it into Amharic so we can start reading the book with the boys as soon as we arrive in Ethiopia. I hope it is helpful for them.
Beautiful, amazing idea. Wish I would have thought to do that!
ReplyDeleteDo you have the book "Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child?" I think it's the best of all the adoption books I've read.
DeleteOh I am crying, bitter & ever-so-sweet tears...
ReplyDeletefor their immeasurable loss,
for their boundless gains that are yet to come,
for the thought and care you have so clearly and simply put into "their three-photo story,"
and for how much love I can feel radiating from you all the way over to them in Ethiopia.
More sweet than bitter...
Wow, thank you! I think I haven't seen you on here before...?
DeleteIt's me, hopeful_one from Selam-Ubuntu (in cognito, unintended).
DeleteHonestly, not sure why just "--mbm" came up like that.
Sending much love your way ;]
Oh, hi!!! Thank you!
DeleteThis is a really, really good and thoughtful idea! We are almost done with the Patty Cogen book, and I like it because it's so practical. I've heard the picture story idea is really effective--and your book is even better. I'm sure the boys will love it--as Cogen says, "When it's mentionable, it's manageable"--excellent advice.
ReplyDeleteThey will love it. You are doing such a great job putting things in their language. That will really help.
ReplyDeleteSounds perfect. I have had "Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child" for a couple of years but just yesterday I picked it up from the bookshelf and moved it to my bedside table. I just haven't felt able to read and process - but now I think I can. I have learned quite a few things from it already via blog posts like this one!
ReplyDeleteI am very happy to read your blogs about your boys from Burji Ethiopia. I wish you great happiness and prosperpus future. As a Burji my self, please let me know if I may help out as your family grow.
ReplyDelete