Perspectives on Challenged Family Building

Welcome to part two of our post about “value competency.” As Part One explained, trauma causes children to develop values that are often at discord with those of the adoptive family. Thus, “value competency” is the ability to live—long-term—with children who, due to their traumatic histories, have a different set of values than the adoptive [...]

As a parent, do you feel like every request becomes a bargain? You ask, “Would you please bring your laundry downstairs, and your child replies, “I will if you let me go to Tommy’s house.”  You say, “It’s time for dinner.” Your son or daughter replies, I’ll sit down when you let me have a [...]

Gordon was 15-years-old when he was arrested for vandalizing several cars parked at a local shopping mall. Gordon had been adopted, internationally, when he was 2 and 1/2 -years-old. He had been difficult from the start. This arrest was one more situation on a very lengthy list of negative behaviors! While at the police station [...]