There is an astonishing abundance of writing as one trudge's through the adoption process, overwhelming even those who find enjoyment the art of recording their brain's creations.  Besides the “Dear Birthmother” letter, the autobiography would be 'the other' big writing stressor of the adoption process.  Each agency will have their own guidelines as to what specific topics they would like to see included in your autobiography.

• Ready, set, reflect.  A social worker could interview you and find out everything that you are going to put into the autobiography, and actually will do so at some point before the home study process comes to conclusion. You aren’t really writing this for them while they do benefit from it; you are doing it for you. The autobiography is a chance for you to reflect on the events that have occurred in your life, and how those events as well as your rejoinder to them have fashioned you into the individual you are today.  Subsequent to your first meeting your social worker has an impression of your persona, it’s their job is to interpret people’s personalities after all, so what they are looking for in your autobiography besides the information they requested in their guideline is how you view, and feel about yourself.  

• Make an outline.  Make a list of the events, and facts you want to write about, then go back and write a few key details about each entry, including it’s specific point.  You don’t want to be eight paragraphs deep about your exhilaration over receiving your first puppy, before realizing you put Fido on the list to illustrate your first experience with death and grief.

• Talk to friends and family.   Talking about old times will help you remember forgotten details of the past events, such as how you actually felt while going through them.  Examine each event from the perspective you had in the moment, as well as from your current one. 

While parents may argue about the amount of extra curricular activities children should be involved in, they can agree that it is good for children to have at least one organized activity besides school that they attend on a regular basis.  Some children play sports, some children play instruments, some take art classes, and some attend groups like the Boy Scouts, and the Girl Scouts.

Ask previous Caregivers. Talk to your child’s social worker and/or foster parent about what activities he or she feels would benefit the child, or that the child has previously been enrolled in.  Your child may have already been involved in an activity that he or she greatly enjoyed, but is too shy to ask about rejoining. 

Ask your Child. If you are able to communicate with your child get feedback on what activities he or she has an interest in.  Make yourself a list to reference later; it will definitely come in handy.

Think about your child’s behavior and interests.  Is he or she constantly climbing on and jumping off of everything?  Give gymnastics or tumbling a try.  Is your child constantly coloring, in books, on walls, wherever?  They may be more suited for an art class.  Is your child constantly catching bugs?  A nature or science club may be right up their alley. 

Use adoption registries. There are local registries as well as both national and international. Some have an enrollment fee which may seem unfair, but is done with your best interest in mind, to keep out scammers pretending to be long lost family members, which happens more often than one might think.

Popular Adoption Registries:

Adoption Database

registry.adoption.com

adoptionregistry.us

Adoption Searching

Adoptee Connect 

National Adoption Registry

Fine Me 

adoptionregistry.webs.com

Family Ties Adoption Search Database

Lost n Found Adoption Registry

Utilize social networking sites such as Linkedin, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Bebo, Friendster, MyHeritage, and other popular social networking sites, to search for your biological family member.

Look through public records! Real estate records, tax records, criminal records, can all, at the very least, help to paint a life picture of the person which you are looking for, if not lead you to right to them altogether. Large multi search sites usually have a fee, but if you know what area to search in local resources such as courthouses have free access to public records online.

Popular Public Records Search Sites:

searchsystems.net

brbpub.com

publicrecords.onlinesearches.com

netronline.com

Have a name and an old address? Try contacting old neighbors to see if anyone has kept in contact with whom you are searching for. If nothing else a neighbor may be able to pass a message on to the family member you are looking for, or give you an idea on where to look next.  You can also try to request a forwarding address from the post office.

Most new parents look forward to the end of the day, specifically their children’s bedtime, as it means that they can finally rest their weary bones for a spell, before starting their new and exhausting parental routine all over again the following day. Newly adoptive parents, have a few reasons to be a little nervous about the ‘bedtime routine.’ Especially if they have never read a bedtime story to a child before.

Before falling asleep at night, we are left lying in bed in the dark with nothing but our thoughts in our head. For those who have recently suffered trauma, or great upheaval in their lives, being alone with their thoughts is about the last thing they want to do!

Bedtime stories give your new child something else to think about, they can immerse themselves into a fantasy world where the pains of reality do not exist. They can help to relax your newly adopted child, and help him or her to feel more at ease in their new home. Reading a bedtime story to your newly adopted child is also a great chance for the two of you to begin bonding with one another.

So how do you go about reading a good bedtime story?

Hey Look! The Happy Book author: Snip Francis,Melanie Gilbert asin: 1890616222

Most new parents, adoptive or otherwise usually find themselves so wrapped up in preparing for the actual arrival of their child, that few take the time to think about life beyond that point. And not all of the new skills that they must acquire once the title of parent has been earned.

Not only do new parents have a lot to learn about caring for a helpless infant, they are usually terrified about not learning the appropriate skills, not learning them fast enough, or not learning them well enough. In short; they’re afraid of messing up! Since all new parents get the jitters, and all parents can use a little extra help from time to time regardless of how long they have been parents, I introduce to you How To Tuesday. Where I will highlight basic parenting skills in a quick and easy reference format.

How to Clip an Infant's Nails:

Things You’ll Need:

Infant nail clippers or nail scissors

Infant mittens

A good set of chompers

2-Pack Scratch Mittens asin: B00069SSWW