Tag Archives: neighbors

Living Near Your Parents—Good or Bad?

Isn’t ironic that as teenagers all we wanted to do was to get as far away from our parents as possible, but as soon as we settle down and have a family all of a sudden we wish they lived closer? It might not be true in all cases, but a new survey shows that a majority of Americans age 30 to 45 with children desire to live closer to their parents or other family members. My family lives 5000 miles away and my 4-year-old begs me to get us on “the big plane to Hawaii” every single day. Needless … Continue reading →

Book Review: I’m Brown and My Sister Isn’t

Families are often advised to begin talking about adoption while a child is very young, even before he can understand the words, so that the child will grow up seeing adoption as a normal way for a family to form. Recent years have brought many children’s picture books on adoption, but it’s still a difficult topic to convey to toddlers and preschoolers. A book which speaks very simply about adoption and the diverse families it creates is I’m Brown and My Sister Isn’t, by Robbie O’Shea, who is herself a mother of two adopted children who have different skin colors. … Continue reading →

Book Review: When Joel Comes Home

When Joel Comes Home is written by Susi Gregg Fowler and illustrated by Jim Fowler. The Fowlers have two daughters, one by adoption. This book is based in part on their fond memories of their own “welcome home” celebration. This book is written from the perspective of a little girl. The adoptive parents are her parents’ best friends. The book describes the girl’s painting a welcome sign with her mother and making elaborate plans to dress up in a party dress to welcome the baby, to give the new mother flowers and make a pretty speech, and to be the … Continue reading →

New Neighbors and Their Outdoor Pets

Three new families have moved into my neighborhood during the last month. All have pets. (Woohoo! More pet people!) However, two of the households have outdoor pets. Aimee’s not the only one who takes exception to her neighbors from time to time. Occasionally, so do I. Most recently Aimee had to contend with neighbors not disposing of their trash (namely chicken bones) in the proper place. Frustrating. I can feel her pain. One of our new neighbors’ animals is leaving some litter behind I’d rather he dispose of elsewhere, too…. The Outdoor Cat Apparently he’s made friends with his next … Continue reading →

A Single Parent Needs Trustworthy Neighbors

Many people have lamented and written on the changing of American neighborhoods. It can be hard to find friendly neighbors and a feeling of community that many of us remember from our youth. As single parents, I think we really need to have neighbors we can trust and those we can turn to when we need a hand, or just need to feel safe and supported in our neighborhoods. Even if you manage to get just one trustworthy neighbor as part of your “support team” it can make a huge difference. A great neighbor can provide our kids with a … Continue reading →

Considerations in Adopting When You Already Have Children: Shared or Different Heritages

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In the past days I’ve been writing about how your adoption decisions may be different when you have children already in your family to consider. One of these questions is whether you want your children to share the same ethnicity? Many parents believe that their child will feel a deeper sense of belonging if there is someone in the family who looks like them. I admit to sometimes wishing I looked like others in my family, and I wasn’t even adopted. However, a recent article in Adoptive Families magazine suggests that it may be less necessary than was formerly believed. … Continue reading →

Got Rotten Neighbors? Check on Rottenneighbor.com

Before you make that move to a new home, you might want to check out the neighborhood. Now I am not talking about doing the standard research that any real estate agent gives you; you know the info on school systems and median household income. While those things may be important. It doesn’t matter where you live if you have rotten neighbors. When I first came to live in Pennsylvania, I lived in a luxury apartment complex in a hot area. It was a very nice apartment, and I enjoyed living there. I didn’t enjoy the neighbor upstairs though. She … Continue reading →

Adopting When You Already Have Children: Birth Order and Spacing

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There are a few differences when you adopt a second (or subsequent) child, whether your children are yours by birth or by adoption. Your proposed child will have a great effect on your other children, emotionally and in terms of your family’s lifestyle. I think siblings are wonderful, but my next several blogs will talk about some things you may want to consider. Most adoption counselors advise against adopting out of birth order—meaning, adopting kids who are older than you already have. That said, I’ve seen it work out just fine in certain families. The adoption experts especially advise, however, … Continue reading →

Can Your Sibling Relations Influence Your Children’s?

Many of us come from families of origin where our relationships were less than stellar. In fact, this can be a motivating factor for some of us to try to build our own families where the communication is better; the relationships are stronger and more pleasant, and where our children love and get along with each other. If you come from a family where you do not get along with your siblings, you might be wondering how you can do something different with your own children. Will your sibling relations influence the way your own children interact with each other? … Continue reading →

Fostering Closeness in Siblings

Sibling rivalry and fighting among siblings can be the bane of a parent’s existence. Ask any family with more than one child and chances are sibling fighting and bickering will be a concern. Many of us choose to have more than one child so that our children will experience the closeness and bonding of a sibling (or two) and then we wonder why it seems like all they do is fight. Is there anything we can do as parents to encourage and foster a sense of closeness between siblings? Age can make a difference in how close siblings are but … Continue reading →