I'm fortunate to have many experienced parents to ask if I need parenting advice. However, I know very few people who have adopted and even fewer who have adopted internationally. I'm not one to go into a situation unprepared, so once the mountains of paperwork ended I began reading.... The Complete Book of International Adoption, The Russian Adoption Handbook, Adoption Parenting, Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child.... you get the picture. So now when my (hypothetical) 14 month old does the scream and back arch normally seen in a one month old I will be able to explain that although my child is chronologically 14 months his emotional age is much
younger because he was living in survival mode while in the orphanage. I have tons of these little scenarios floating around in my head and after 20 + hours in the car on the way to Michigan and back I think I have had too much time to read. I have started diagnosing not only my own "reactive coping strategy" but also that of Brian, my sister, and even my patients. While visiting my 7 year old cousin who is a typical picky eater and won't tolerate chunks in her soup, my mind immediately goes to sensory integration disorders and the importance of chewing and sucking for later speech development. When I finally realized I needed a small break was when I was walking my dog and we came to a yard with a riding lawn mower, my dog stopped and looked back at me to see how I was assessing the situation and decided to come and walk right next to me. My reaction was "good signs of attachment Abby." Yikes!
So as we got back in the car this weekend for a trip to South Dakota, I left my international adoption (IA) reading at home and didn't diagnose any of the Gaedes, their children or their dogs with IA issues. July has been full of good quality family fun with a trip to Aunt Jan's in Michigan for the 4th and South Dakota for a Gaede family reunion. Enjoy the slide show.
