As I was editing the ADN Conference program this morning, it struck me that our three keynote speakers are all slated to deliver such positive messages. How awesome! Parenting challenging children is rarely punctuated with positives, yet reading these description, here are adoption/attachment disorder veterans planning to infuse HOPE into the conference attendees.

The conference will be opened by Nancy Thomas, an internationally-known therapeutic parenting specialist. Nancy is founder of Families By Design, an author and trainer. Nancy's methods sometimes generate controversy, but Nancy herself, in person, does not. If you Google Nancy Thomas (besides several links to the artist by the same name) you will pull up all kinds of information - positive AND negative about Nancy Thomas and her ability to help some of the world's most troubled children. But if you hear Nancy speak in person, you are likely to see someone you did not expect. She is truly the epitome of the "Steel Box with the Silver Lining" theory that she promotes. Parenting a child with high structure AND high nurture sounds like an oxymoron when you read it in Nancy's materials. But watching her in action, you "get it". She exudes nurture and compassion, all the while knowing that challenging children require high structure, consistent routine, and natural consequences to reach their potential.

On the other end of the conference, our closing keynote speaker is Deborah Hage, MSW, a renown attachment therapist who presents her Parenting with Pizazz lecture series throughout the country. Deborah presents with the most highly evolved sense of humor I know! Her closing session is entitled "Keeping the Love Light Lit" and will focus on keeping families (couples) healthy as they parent challenging children. I know, without a doubt, that Deborah will make us laugh. And since humor is one of the best (and least expensive) stress relievers I know, I'm looking forward to my dose of Deborah.

In between these great speakers, our Friday keynote is none other than Nancy Ashe, the Editor of Adoption.com. Nancy, an adult adoptee and adoption advocate, will speak on "Holding On To Hope, Letting Go of Expectations," and will share with us her own personal experiences as an adopted child. I can hardly wait! Mostly because I know Nancy through cyberspace only. Here she is my boss on Adoptionblogs - and we haven't met face-to-face. Isn't technology something! It will be ever so nice to have a face and voice to put with the person I know as Nancy Ashe!

As ADN's conference chair, I'm humbled that these ladies have agreed to speak at our conference -- humbled because I know they are extremely busy and sought-after presenters. Yet, their hearts belong to adoptive and foster children, especially the traumatized ones, and to the families and therapists who are working to heal these children's wounds.

I can hardly wait to listen, to learn, and to be inspired!