I’m constantly reminded that we need to change our whole way of thinking when living or working with vulnerable children. Those with insecure attachment difficulties can not help the behaviours they do. Often they are acting from the reptilian part of
When my three children were in Primary School I remember well the walk of shame. That moment at the end of the day when you’re waiting patiently for your children to come out. You see all the class come out and
This week’s theme is surviving strategies – what a great theme? One that we ALL need to hear and have probably struggled to find over many years. We’ve been in this world of adoption for about 11 years now – 3
Holidays are great – they give us all a chance to take a breath and relax a bit. Maybe have a few line ins, definitely spend time with your own families, maybe go away or just spend some much needed time
I had a worrying and all too familiar email from an adoptive parent this week about her child’s experience at school. In this case a Secondary School but I know many children who have these experiences at Primary School too. I
Sometimes when you look back on your life and the plans you had when you were younger you might feel some regret at things you’ve not done. You may have wanted to climb Everest, leap out of a plane, become a
I often wonder about those in government making the decisions about our educational system. It seems that more and more we are pushing our children to breaking point in some cases. You hear of young people committing suicide because of the
Our house is pretty full. With three young teenagers, my husband and I, a fish and a bearded dragon. So any more room left? Well after years of saying no to a dog I finally succumbed to the constant nagging from
I’ve been thinking recently about what our responsibility is as parents and/or someone working with vulnerable children, in terms of when our children dysregulate. It’s so easy to focus on what they have done, or not done, or even what others
I absolutely love the Autumn – the colours, the brisk air, the beautiful sunshine (when it’s not raining and foggy) and the peace that it brings. All the seasons have their good and bad elements I suppose but I’ve not found
This week has been National Adoption Week – seems only last month that we had last years the time is flying so fast. Our children are now 12, 13 and 14 and every stage has its own joys and challenges but
Reward schemes in schools are probably one of the most thwart with perils area that we deal with as adoptive parents and also in my workshops with schools. The level of competition and judgment that comes from the sticker charts, the
‘Alas for the one that never sings but dies with their songs still in them’ – unknown. This was a quote used by the host of a business conference I was at recently and it’s stuck with me since then. I
Recently I’ve been overwhelmed by some of the expectations there are around my life. Admittedly mostly from myself, but they are there. As an adoptive parent there are expectations – from my children, from other adopters, from all the other people
I am that child. The child BraveHeart Education help, who we talk about, who we help teachers and parents understand. My story isn’t really that bad, I’m not adopted, never been hit or touched inappropriately, but what did happen still affects
I’ve been attending a Church in our town for the last 28 years. I was 17 years old when we first arrived there and it has been my spiritual home since then. I’ve been through the trials of establishing a career,
Years ago things seemed to be so much more certain. You went to school, studied, got good exam results, went to Uny, got a job, married, kids – set for life. I’m not sure if it ever was really like that,
I saw a really interesting film recently – Tomorrow Land starring George Clooney. One of the thoughts they used throughout the film was based on an old Cherokee story: One evening an old Cherokee Indian told his grandson about a battle
