An article yesterday in Reuters Health by Amy Norton said that people who live with chronic distress through their lives might end up with a mild cognitive impairment, characterized by persistent memory difficulties, like forgetting names or misplacing things. Eventually it can evolve into advanced dementia. Nearly15 percent of older adults may have a mild cognitive impairment, which... more

We had tried for years to adopt a baby girl through the foster care system in our state. Many children came to stay in our home; unfortunately, we never had a baby girl that stayed in our forever family. When we began our adoption journey, we were barely 30, that was 14 years, nearly 100 children, and seven adoptions ago.

We found ourselves in our 40’s, still wanting to adopt an illusive baby girl. Only we had a few strikes against us, now we were considered older adoptive parents, and we were also a large family now. Two things that not many birth mothers want to... more

I let my three oldest boys go off for a week of camp together. They deserved it, they work hard helping their dad on the farm, they help with household chores, and sometimes they baby sit. They definitely needed a break from the responsibility and chaos of home and have time just to be kids.

Nevertheless, it was a real hardship on me to have them gone for the week. I’d forgotten how difficult it could be to take a child to an appointment with five other children in tow. I will admit it; I have gotten a little lazy, leaving the other children at home with... more

Did any other adoptive large families go to see the movie, “Cheaper by the Dozen,” a few years ago and think to themselves, this is just like our house, “Why did we pay money to see this?” I’m not saying it was a bad movie, we just felt as if we were back at home when we were supposed to be out on a date. If I remember correctly, my husband and I got up and left early, because our dates are few and far between.

Today reminded me of that movie when we had a bonfire in the back 40 and cooked hotdogs and made smores. My nearly adult son, who just graduated, lost a hotdog in the fire when it fell off his stick. I offered my condolences and suggested he fetch it out for the dog to eat and... more

Each year when our family renews our adoptive homestudy, we all have to repeat our TB skin test. I admit to thinking and verbalizing, ”TB test are old- fashioned and out-dated, wouldn’t it be more realistic to test prospective adoptive parents for HIV or a Hepatitis Virus?” It turns out that I was incredibly wrong about TB being out-dated; it seems that Tuberculosis is posing a major crisis in some public health circles.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial disease that is spread when infected patients cough; it usually affects the lungs. Programs are... more

My adult daughter and I both dedicated our babies Sunday morning. Our church has a tradition of allowing parents to dedicate their babies once a year on Mother’s Day. We aren’t baptizing infants; the parents are simply making a promise to raise their child in the Lord, before the congregation. The parents are presented with a certificate as a reminder and as a memento, to place in the child’s baby book.

A few circumstances made this year’s dedication a bit unusual. My husband and I were dedicating our nine-month-old daughter, whom we adopted privately through interstate last July. We also chose to dedicate our nine-year-old daughter who has lived with us for over two years, whom... more

I was listening to my favorite radio station this morning and heard an interesting piece of Mother’s Day trivia. Apparently, they had conducted a survey among mothers, asking what they would like most for Mother’s Day. The answer at first seemed a bit odd to me, “Quiet time alone in the bathroom.” Within a few seconds though, I was in total agreement; not because we have 11 people living in our home, although that is a factor. My husband and I have our own private bathroom connected to our bedroom, so I should be able to have private time when... more

It is not always possible to potty train a child with severe special needs. Some children may not have the mental capacity to identify the “urge” with actually going to the bathroom nor are they concerned with their personal hygiene. Some children continually leak urine. They must wear adult diapers 24 hours a day and regular potty training is probably out of the question.

Changing a wet diaper isn’t a big deal. However, if you have ever changed a soiled diaper on a teenager or even on a preteen you know just how foul smelling... more

You and your family have decided to adopt a special needs child. So how can your family decide which special needs to consider and which special needs won’t work with your family’s lifestyle? How do you go about finding a special needs child who needs a forever family?

First, look at some of the state adoption websites like North West Adoption Exchange, or The Adoption Exchange and national adoption websites like Adopt... more

What happens to an older child, emotionally, when adoption takes too long? Say, for example, the child is placed in your home for the purpose of adoption, and you tell the child, “We are going to adopt you.” The adoption worker says to the child, “I am working on your adoption, it will take a while, but I will get it done.” The child’s therapist reiterates these phrases during counseling. But, then a year or maybe two goes by, and the adoption still isn’t finalized.

Sure, the child wants to believe that you will eventually adopt,... more