Newsletter
#63 for Internationally Adopting Parents
June 7, 2007
PAL Center
Inc.
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New Publications |
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B. Gindis Ph.D. Sociocultural
Theory
In: H. Daniels, M. Cole, Cambridge University Press, NY 2007, pp. 332-363 |
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This consultation is not a burden for a child: we play, talk, give prizes and speak your child's native language. But this consultation will help:
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You receive this
newsletter Copyright@2006-2007 |
Latest Articles
from the
International Adoption Articles Directory
Dr. Noel Swanson
Consistency is the key to eliminate child behavior problems
If parents want to achieve success in child discipline, they must inculcate the virtue of consistency. It is the most important thing especially for parents that have issues regarding child discipline. It is true that it is not easy to remain consistent all the time. After all, you are human beings with normal human failings. And, children can be absolutely exasperating at times. So, you can only aim at achieving consistency, but it is worth making all the effort because it has good effect on your children and you can teach them the basic norms of good behavior with good results.
Summer Hosting of Orphanage Children From AbroadHosting children from abroad, despite all the difficulties and costs involved in it's organization, attracts a lot of attention of prospective adoptive parents as well as American families who do not necessarily look for adoption but are interested in the experience and cultural and humanitarian values of the event. We periodically receive questions about how to apply for hosting, what agency to contact, where to learn more and how to prepare for that event. Here is a collection of information from different people and sources which hopefully gives our readers a starting point for their research.We have been doing hosting programs since 2000. We have brought children from Russia, Moldova, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. The majority of these older children have been able to find homes with families, who never would have adopted had they not met and/or hosted the children during their stay here. Hosting programs are not adoption programs; they have a purpose of helping orphan children have a new cultural experience in an American family, but at the same time, it is possible that some of the children may be available for adoption. Many, many children, who did not come through hosting programs, are adopted because of the hosting programs where families have had an experience of older, institutionalized children. It opens the door for adoption, not necessarily of a specific child, but of the children of these countries.
Morgan Bates
International Family Service of AZ, Director
Family Hope International, Director
Families for Orphans, Volunteer DirectorMost, if not all, hosting programs now require an upfront fee of about $2000 (though I've heard as high as $4500, ours is at the other end of the spectrum) to cover the cost of the in-country preparation and airfare to get the children here. Church ministries and other organizations and individuals have been able to raise the funds because of the nature of the program.
We are bringing a group of children from Ukraine from July 20 to August 10 to So. California and Arizona. We are seeking host families. As adoption is not the purpose of the trip, host families do not have to have home studies but do have to meet the requirements of the program to be a safe home for the child during the visit. We have a daily activity and cultural program where the children and escorts meet and interact with the US host families and others interested in knowing about older children in that country. If a host family makes a deep connection with the child and the child with them, after the children return to Ukraine, and if the child is available for adoption, they can submit a dossier to adopt. There is no guarantee that the child will be available when the dossier is presented, but our attorneys will make every effort to match the family through the SDA office with the hosted child or with a child of the same gender and similar in age.If you are looking for a child to host, you can contact Susan Weidner (susan.weidner@cox.net) for the available children in Arizona and Morgan Bates (morganbates108@cox.net) - for children in the other states.
The families who did it before had a very good experience, depending on the age of the child, with the pool, beach, playground, riding bikes, playing football, and jumping on the trampoline. Sleeping in tents (even in the backyard) and cooking hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire are great fun.
Games without words and reading or with numbers work well: numbers are the same in any language. Disney channel and Disney DVDs were a big hit.Parents report: "they also liked doing things around the house to help. We found that just having them participate in “normal” family life was the best really. We expected them to help with chores – so they unloaded the dishwasher, swept and mopped the floor, picked up toys, folded laundry – that sort of thing. Really, it made them feel more like part of the family, and we saw a huge transition in their behavior and comfort level when we began asking them to help and participate in our family in that way."
The information is now abundant, but not always impartial. Internet blogs and discussion groups are a good source of support and good advice from parents who have already been there:
The children arrive from many countries: Russia, Guatemala, Moldova, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Peru, Ethiopia, Haiti, Colombia, China...
The agencies responsible for the organization of the trips normally provide some training for the families in person or will require you to complete an appropriate course about older children or hosting. BGCenter and PAL Center offer 2 online classes which qualify for the preparation to hosting and hosting+adoption: these are:
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