Encouraging your Heart

Hello!

We hear it so often, that perhaps it's lost its impact...but here goes...

Good Communication = Healthy Relationships

Healthy Relationships build strong families.

All of us start our families with the goal of being healthy and functional...but life doesn't always go according to plan. What do you do when you have lost your way?

Here are some ideas for rebooting (or improving) your communication with the people you love the most!

1) Behavior - Parents need to model the positive behavior they want to see in their children. Behaviors like respect, honesty, courage, consistency and perseverance.

2) Language - Words have such great power to bless or to wound. Take a breath. Choose your words carefully and thoughtfully. When you speak carelessly, you damage others as well as yourself.

3) Listening - To listen to another is a gift. Children who have engaged, listening parents have a stronger sense of self and trust.

You've got this! And remember...when you make a mistake (and we all do), you can circle back around to your loved one, apologize and begin again!

How Open Does and Open Adoption have to Be?

Many couples have questions about the open adoption model used by Snowflakes Embryo Adoption Program. They wonder how much will be expected from them when it comes to communicating with another family about their children. How open does an open adoption have to be?

The open adoption model simply gives families the opportunity to stay in contact. How much or what method they use to do that is entirely up to the families themselves. For the Trabun and Smith families, an open adoption means staying in contact through email and sending presents for special occasions.

See how these families stay connected

Solo Parenting...You Are Not Alone

After 13 years of marriage, Robert Beeson suddenly found himself single. “My wife left me -- and left me with our three daughters who were 9, 7 and 4 at the time. It was the darkest season.”

Grappling with this new solo responsibility, the divorced dad turned to his church for comfort and support. He was saddened to find very few Christian resources address the deep loneliness and doubt that many single parents endure. Out of his own need to be part of a welcoming faith community, Beeson founded the Solo Parent Society.

Why call it ‘solo’ instead of ‘single?’ “Single to me says status, but solo is a condition -- we wanted to bring attention to the complexities that 34% of our homes are dealing with in America.”