I am really looking forward to our December meeting and learning from the wisdom around the table.
It's the time of the year where many families are a little more tired, overscheduled, or coughing their way through the holiday season. At our house, my lovely wife and daughter have created some kind of fire-signed Saggitarius secret society whereby they keep our home perpetually lit up with excitement, lights, and loud holiday toys which sing, bark or dance.
I enjoy all the fun too but I also struggle a bit this time of year as I think of Christmases shared with loved ones who have passed away and I probably try a little to hard to find both spiritual peace and a perfectly seasoned gluten free stuffing recipe.
And like many families created by adoption, we try to find the right balance between acknowledging our children's unique life paths and related issues and simply enjoying some quality time with our chosen family.
And I know it will all be just a bit easier after attending the GLBTQ post-adoption support group this week.
12 December 2010
24 October 2010
Parent-led Support Group Continues
Since my partner and I adopted a three year old daughter in April 2009, I have been purposefully learning how to parent and an important part of that process has been to participate in this group.
Our first meeting of the year was held on Oct 20th with excellent support and homemade muffins. It was a delight to be in a room full of so much queer parenting wisdom, honesty, and compassion. I echo one of the participant's comment "this is just what I needed."
If you are a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or trans family and have recently gone through the life-altering process of adopting or if you did so a long time ago are now turning a new page in your evolution as a parent, please e-mail me about joining us.
With appreciation,
Celeste
Our first meeting of the year was held on Oct 20th with excellent support and homemade muffins. It was a delight to be in a room full of so much queer parenting wisdom, honesty, and compassion. I echo one of the participant's comment "this is just what I needed."
If you are a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or trans family and have recently gone through the life-altering process of adopting or if you did so a long time ago are now turning a new page in your evolution as a parent, please e-mail me about joining us.
With appreciation,
Celeste
21 January 2010
Welcome to a New Year
We're into a new year and our group continues to grow with adoptive and adoptive parents-to-be. If you'd like to be added to our mailing list, please let us know at lgbtqadoptionottawa [at] rogers [.] com .
Here's a list of topics for the remainder of the year. This are just general guidelines for discussion and we often digress and explore current issues happening in our households.
February: Attachment
The focus of this discussion will be on attachment in the adoptive family. What has helped build strong attachments with our children? We will allow discuss how each parent in an adoptive couple might experience attachment with their adoptive child(ren) to varying degrees, and vice versa in terms of the pace that children attach to their adoptive parents. In addition, we will consider difficult attachments and their impacts on adoptive parents.
March: Not-So-Closed Adoptions
The focus of this discussion will explore adoptions in which birth families are involved with our children – whether as part of a negotiated open or partially open adoption, because they have found our adoptive families or because we have reached out to them. How are these relationships negotiated? How do we decide whether our children are ready for this contact? What do we do if we aren’t ready?
April: Queering our Kids, Gender Binaries, and Parenting Parameters
The focus of this discussion will explore how adoptive couples negotiate different parenting styles within their relationships. We will also consider how gender roles come to be assigned, reinforced and challenged within our relationships. Lastly, our discussion will consider the impact of our family structure on adoptive children with no past experience of the LGBTQ community.
May: Open Forum
The topic of this meeting is being left open to allow for the inclusion of interests that emerge over the course of the year and demand a more committed timeframe for discussion.
June: Adoption Process and Post-Adoption Support
The focus of this discussion will be a discussion of the adoption options and process within the Ottawa community, as well as a discussion of the post-adoption support available to families. The discussion will be grounded in the experiences of participants and is intended as a forum in which parents-to-be can receive helpful hints, and ask questions in a safe, candid environment.
Here's a list of topics for the remainder of the year. This are just general guidelines for discussion and we often digress and explore current issues happening in our households.
February: Attachment
The focus of this discussion will be on attachment in the adoptive family. What has helped build strong attachments with our children? We will allow discuss how each parent in an adoptive couple might experience attachment with their adoptive child(ren) to varying degrees, and vice versa in terms of the pace that children attach to their adoptive parents. In addition, we will consider difficult attachments and their impacts on adoptive parents.
March: Not-So-Closed Adoptions
The focus of this discussion will explore adoptions in which birth families are involved with our children – whether as part of a negotiated open or partially open adoption, because they have found our adoptive families or because we have reached out to them. How are these relationships negotiated? How do we decide whether our children are ready for this contact? What do we do if we aren’t ready?
April: Queering our Kids, Gender Binaries, and Parenting Parameters
The focus of this discussion will explore how adoptive couples negotiate different parenting styles within their relationships. We will also consider how gender roles come to be assigned, reinforced and challenged within our relationships. Lastly, our discussion will consider the impact of our family structure on adoptive children with no past experience of the LGBTQ community.
May: Open Forum
The topic of this meeting is being left open to allow for the inclusion of interests that emerge over the course of the year and demand a more committed timeframe for discussion.
June: Adoption Process and Post-Adoption Support
The focus of this discussion will be a discussion of the adoption options and process within the Ottawa community, as well as a discussion of the post-adoption support available to families. The discussion will be grounded in the experiences of participants and is intended as a forum in which parents-to-be can receive helpful hints, and ask questions in a safe, candid environment.
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