Tag Archives: lifebook

Your Family Storybook

I’ve written before about lifebooks, books about foster or adoptive children which show the continuity of their history from birth, through each residence and caregiver until they arrive at their permanent home. Family storybooks are another tool for bonding in adoptive families. This term is used in two slightly different ways. One type of family storybook is a book which is designed to give children an overview of their new home and family. In some cases it may also serve as an overview presented to the state foster care workers or committee reviewing the family’s application. (Some couples looking to … Continue reading →

One of the Best Gifts You Can Give Your Child: a Lifebook

A “lifebook” in the adoption community has similarities to a scrapbook, a baby book and a storybook. However, its main purpose is to provide the adopted child with a sense of continuity and a way to make sense of the past. Most adoptive parents have plenty of photos dating from their child’s arrival. But some adopted children have been known to believe that they were not born as other children are born, that they literally came from an airplane or an agency or sprang into existence as preschoolers. Others are old enough to realize they had a prior existence. While … Continue reading →

The International Adoption Wait – Keep a Record

Many adoptive parents-to-be find that it is helpful to write during the wait. It provides the chance to vent about your feelings, to rejoice in small victories and mostly just to memorialize this special time in your life. There are a number of different ways to keep a record of your adoption, but here are a few of my favorites: Keep A Journal For Your Child There is an awesome novel by James Patterson that is called “Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas”. The entire book is a diary that a mother wrote for her son from the moment she found out … Continue reading →