Helping D (part 1)

January was a busy, social month for us.  My mom was here. We had a big birthday party for A. D started preschool. My best friend from high school flew in for a visit (we drove into the city to see Independence Hall just the two of us, bliss!). My sister was here with her kids. It was fun, for all of us, but for D it also was stressful. He has been getting more and more anxious, and I've been looking for ways to help him.

Below are some of the things, old and new, that I've been using to calm him and make him feel safer.

• Lying down with him again at bedtime and staying until he falls asleep

• Face-to-face breathing exercises - I've always done these with him and they usually help.

• Setting the timer for transitions or for a calm period is a huge help.

• Classical music - it seems to calm him down and puts me in a better mood, too.

• The "Magic Circle" (Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child, p.103) - I got a big piece of twine, tied it in a circle, and showed D how we could stand in the circle and and use it to pull each other. His face lit up as if I'd finally delivered that skid-steer loader he's been asking for. "You mean we're connected??!?" I carry the twine in my pocket everywhere we go. 

What calms your child when s/he feels anxious?

Christian World Adoption

"Christian" World Adoption has been among the worst of the worst in Ethiopia. I am very happy they are finally closing.

Ethiotube: Fly Away Children - Commercialization of Children