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How to Tell a Young Child That He is Adopted

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Every now and then I hear conversations about whether it is wise to tell a young child that he is adopted. We have five adopted boys who are maternal brothers. There are no secrets. I tell the story of his adoption to our four year old several times a week at bed time. I follow the Old Testament practice of telling children how God has blessed them over and over again. The next time that you read through the Bible, count how many times that the story is told of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. God likes to get his point … Continue reading →

The Impact of Exposure to Cocaine in the Womb

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A few years ago, there was a lot of information in the media concerning the damage that women who habitually use crack cocaine were causing to the children born to them. Today, there is a lot of evidence that the damage was not as profound as some medical researchers predicted it would be. This is an important subject to me because I have adopted five children who had the misfortune to spend nine months in the womb of a crack addict. I do not pretend to be an expert on this subject. I am forced to rely on the information … Continue reading →

Saving the World

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I have written a number of blogs which describe the traits that potential adoptive parents of special needs children might want to have. It is time to write about an attitude that will make it harder to adopt. If you think that you will be able to “change the world”, you can expect to have your sails trimmed. I am more than familiar with this attitude. My wife and I launched into many a project knowing that we would be able to conquer any problem that appeared. Fortunately, we had already discovered by the time that we were ready to … Continue reading →

Services Provided for Former Foster Children

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Most people in Texas are aware that there are many children in the foster system that are available for adoption. It is sad to note that many of these children will remain in foster status until they are eighteen years old and released into society. Many of these children will have been moved numerous times. The fortunate segment of foster children will spend all or mostly all of their time in one long term home that provides a loving and caring environment. Unfortunately, many of the children who are moved a lot will be in at least some homes that … Continue reading →

Caring for the Poor

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Twenty years ago, I was shifting my ministry focus from the Texas prisons to the streets of the inner city. My wife wanted to tag along and take our three children. After church one Sunday afternoon, we bought a lot of bread, peanut butter, apples, and bottles of water. We made fifty sack lunches. We set out for the area of the old Star of Hope men’s shelter in downtown Houston. (The Astros baseball stadium now occupies the area.) The plan was to hand out sack lunches and talk to as many people as we could, maybe even pray with … Continue reading →

Being Prepared for the Future

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Fifteen years ago, my wife and I took a trip to Brooklyn to work with an inner city ministry to children that was located in an area called Bushwick. It was very dangerous; we could not get a taxi to take us there from the airport. We knew the risk, but we wanted the training that this experience would give us. Several people who knew Bushwick, advised us not to go. We figured that if God was sending us, then He would protect us. On our arrival, we were given a quick tour of the area. There was an armed … Continue reading →

Adoptive Parenting Traits, Part 6

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I must admit that I never thought that I would be writing that this blog is the sixth in the series that discusses the desirable traits that a person should have that is thinking of adopting a special needs child. The person should have endurance, or staying power, and be willing to be persistent in getting the job done properly. I am going to focus on the challenges of taking our five boys on a trip to illustrate my points. Our oldest grown son and his family live in San Antonio which is about a four hour drive away from … Continue reading →

Adoptive Parenting Traits, Part 5

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This blog is number five in my series discussing the ideal traits that an adoptive parent will have to successfully adopt a special needs child. The individual will have compassion and sensitivity for the inconsistent emotions and sentiments of their adopted child. Sometimes an adopted child will say things that do not make sense from your perspective. Our oldest is the only one of our five boys who even knew their birth mother. The lady who was taking care of them when the state took custody of them was telling him that she was their mother and Lola was merely … Continue reading →

Adoptive Parenting Traits, Part 4

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This blog is the fourth in a series discussing the ideal traits that an adoptive parent of a special needs child should have. An adoptive parent must have a willingness, maybe even a fervor, for demanding and getting their children’s health and learning needs met. There is a fine line between coming on too strong and coming on strong enough to achieve the desired purpose. I like to have a goal of doing whatever it takes to get the best available resources for our boys. I have already related the problems that we had with the public schools and how … Continue reading →

May I See Your Passport Please

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The rules for leaving and entering this country will become stricter for many travelers in a few days. In the past, most United States citizens did not need a passport to leave and enter many Caribbean nations, as well as Mexico and Canada. If you plan to travel to those destinations by air, you will need a passport. You can find out how to get a new one or renew one that has expired by typing “passport” into any search engine. Before I retired, I traveled to many international destinations. I have seen travelers make really stupid mistakes with their … Continue reading →