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Creating Healthy Attachment in Adopted Toddlers

Adopting a toddler is a profoundly rewarding experience. But it’s also one that can be gravely misunderstood. Even though toddlers may still seem as though they are too young to have been affected by the world around them, the truth is that by the time they’re toddlers they’ve already developed some of the personality and mental health issues that could hurt their development. This issue is exacerbated by the language barrier, as language alone may not be enough to help form attachments.

You may or may not know what their attachment styles were like in the past, but if they suffered from any type of neglect or hardships, there is a high likelihood that building attachment can be difficult. Consider the following strategies to boost healthy attachment. Read more.

Share Your Story for International Children’s Day

International Children’s Day is June 1st! In China, it is a time to have fun, be merry, and celebrate the joy of children. LWB would like to join in the celebration by inviting you to share with us how your children inspire you!

In honor of Children’s Day, LWB is asking our followers to contribute images that include quotes and stories to be posted to our Facebook page and Pinterest boards. These images can be simple or creative. We just want to know your story! Read more.

Baby Carson

A guest blog by Stefani Ellison

The calendar said it was the first day of Spring 2012 but the biting cold was more like mid-winter. I had just entered the children’s section of the SWI I was visiting and the worried nannies brought first to me a child who needed immediate help. They carried in a bundle of heavy quilts. As I peeled back each thick blanketed layer, there was the tiny face of a baby. A baby boy with big and intense eyes fanned by his long thin fingers. This baby boy latched right onto my heart as he reached out and latched my finger with his wee hand. I guessed this child couldn’t be more than 2-3 months old. I was very wrong. He was would soon be two in June. Read more.

Questions…and an Answer

My cleft trip summary was supposed to be submitted right after Maureen Brogan’s beautiful post, but to be honest, I didn’t have it in me. I needed a breather as I felt both emotionally and physically raw after returning, and trying to sum up the week I witnessed in China with a few clever sentences seemed trite and disingenuous. I wrote earlier that these trips were hard, but I had no idea. I came back to the US changed. No epiphanies, but the world looked and felt different, and the problem was that I couldn’t articulate why, either to myself or others. Until tonight. Read more.

Bergen: LWB’s Featured Child of the Week

Bergen is one year old and has some very complicated heart defects. He was brought to the Anhui Healing Home in February in hopes that relief from the cold, harsh Anhui winter would help him to gain strength and increase his appetite. Unfortunately surgery is not an option for Bergen in China. Our goal is to keep him as healthy as possible as he waits for a family of his very own, who can give him the best medical options available. Read more.

Behind the Scenes: New Arrivals at the Healing Homes

Have you ever read about a new arrival to one of our healing homes and wondered about how that little one ended up there? We know our volunteers make it look fairly effortless, but the reality is that a whole lot of communication and travel are usually involved before a new baby is safely tucked into her new home. Read more.

Mother’s Day Wishes

“Make a wish and blow!”

That’s what we teach children when they grab their first dandelion gone to seed. Children see the endless possibilities afforded by wishing. They make their incredibly important wish, fill their cheeks, pucker and blow their wishes as far as the wind can carry them.

I became a mother on Mother’s Day 2004.  In a stuffy Civil Affairs Office in Nanchang, Jiangxi, I received my daughter.  How naïve was I then to the journey that I was just beginning? Read more.

Brothers and Sisters in Adoption

The Joint Council on International Children’s Services and Adoption Learning Partners invite you to join them for a lunch-and-learn discussion called “Brothers and Sisters in Adoption.” This webinar will discuss ways to help children navigate relationships when new kids join the family. Experts will share transition tips and strategies for welcoming a toddler or school-aged child home, focusing on preparing brothers and sisters prior to adoption and the first year after adoption. Read more.

Ruth: LWB’s Featured Child of the Week

Ruth is a sweet six-year-old girl who works hard in school despite cognitive delays. Ruth enjoys all of her classes but is particularly fond of her Mandarin and music classes. She finds math challenging, but fortunately a special needs school is located near her orphanage where Ruth can be in a supportive learning environment. The school provides the special attention and patience this lovely girl deserves. Ruth loves going to school each day, and. with your support, she will be able to continue to learn in a supportive and encouraging environment. Read more.

Realistic Expectations: Child Preparation

Most parents adopting internationally have at least a year or more to prepare themselves for the arrival of a child into their lives. They go through home studies and read parenting books. Hopefully by the time they step off the plane in a foreign country, they have had lots of opportunities to process their feelings about building a family through adoption.

For the child, however, there is often little preparation for what will happen to them when they walk through the doors of the Civil Affairs office, and so adoptive parents must anticipate every possible scenario. Read more.