Somewhere in our county there is a massive old limestone bridge over which a railroad company had once run its trains. Today, having found myself in the area and with a bit of time on my hands, I set out to find it. However, all I knew was that it was somewhat southeast of an … Continue reading How to Keep Going When Love is Not a Victory March
Have you seen that episode of I Love Lucy with the freezer? I certainly hope you have, but if not, allow me to give you a brief synopsis. Lucy and Ethel decide to buy a large, industrial freezer without their husbands knowing it because they figure buying meat in bulk and storing it in the … Continue reading Considering Foster Care? Then Bust Down the Door
My wife, Trina, and I have been licensed foster parents since October 2014. We like to say God chose this journey for us because of the events that led up to us deciding to jump in. We tried for a couple of years to have biological children and it just wasn't the right time. We … Continue reading Guest Post: 9 Foster Care Myths, by Brandon Bishop
I have a Facebook friend who excitedly counted down the days until spring break when she could finally spend a bunch of quality time with her kids. That’s beautiful and amazing and inspiring and foreign to me. You see, for me, the looming inevitability of spring break was foreboding, a feeling I’m sure (or at … Continue reading All He Wants is to Feel Safe and Loved
In the early- to mid-2000s, there was a delightful fantasy adventure show on Nickelodeon called Avatar: The Last Airbender. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s the story of a boy named Aang, the Avatar, who is basically the chosen one to save the world from the conquering Fire Nation. While the show is technically for kids, it … Continue reading Uncle Iroh’s Lessons for Foster Parents
So far in this series on rethinking control, we’ve established that you are in complete control of yourself...and not a whole lot else. The inverse of this relatively unfortunate reality is also true: you are not in control of other people, including and especially your children. But for whatever reason, we have this expectation that … Continue reading Rethinking Control, Part 4: Helping Your Child Develop Their Internal Sense of Control
If you’ve read the first two parts of this series, you’re already aware that there’s so much in life we simply can’t control no matter how much we want to. Losing control, or realizing we never had the control we thought we had, causes us distress that often turns into anger. For those of us … Continue reading Rethinking Control, Part 3: 15 Things You Can Control Right Now
Merry Christmas, fellow foster/adoptive dads, however it may find you. I absolutely love Christmas, but it can also be a particularly stressful time for foster/adoptive dads. The family is all together just a bit too much, the budget’s a little (or a lot) tighter, the chaos of the festivity can be overwhelming for the kids, … Continue reading Christmas Hope for Foster/Adoptive Dads
The following is the second part of a series of articles all about taking a fresh look at control, particularly when it comes to raising children. To read part one, click here. In the time I’ve spent both as a foster/adoptive dad and knowing/working with other foster/adoptive parents, I’ve noticed that we have a tendency … Continue reading Rethinking Control, Part 2: Anger as a Reaction to Loss of Control
The following is the first part of a series of articles all about taking a fresh look at control, particularly when it comes to raising children. We hope this content is beneficial for you and that you'll stay tuned for more. If you read almost any parenting book, one word that will almost undoubtedly get … Continue reading Rethinking Control, Part 1: Recognizing What You Can and Can’t Control
