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Welcome to our new subscribers since last time!
Thank you for forwarding the newsletter to your friends :)
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GIFT Celebrates News in the Adoption World
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As always, it is my pleasure to share with you recent news in the adoption world. GIFT coaches are excited to announce two newsworthy items: one is the appointment of Mary Boo as executive director of the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC) and the return of the Adoption Community of New England (ACONE). Both non-profit organizations work tirelessly to support adoptive and foster families.
NACAC promotes and supports permanent families for children and youth in the U.S. and Canada—especially children and youth who are or have been in foster care and those with special needs. NACAC focuses its program services in four areas: public policy advocacy, parent leadership capacity building, education and information sharing, and adoption support.
Similarly, ACONE educates, supports, and advocates on behalf of all members of the adoption triad. It assists members through all stages of their adoption-related experience by means of seminars, workshops, support groups, policy statements, legislative advocacy, and other measures. ACONE also works cooperatively with adoption professionals and agencies to accomplish these goals.
Congratulations to both NACAC's Ms. Boo and ACONE. GIFT shares their commitment to adoptive and foster families and applaud the important work they do.
Blessngs to you and yours,
Lynn Cooper, President, GIFT Family Services, LLC
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From the GIFT Blogs:
Creating Space for Togetherness
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Family Traditions: Good Morning, Good Morning!
Busy-ness and the stress that accompanies it overwhelms most families. We scramble to find enough time to cram in the basics, get everybody up and out the door on time to face the day at school and work. Meals unfold in a hubbub of activity.
You need two dozen cookies tomorrow? Tomorrow? How many times has “Really????” turned into into “No problem!”
Parents mark off internal checklists: Homework? Permission slips? Gym clothes? Lunch money? Laptop? Presentation materials? Checkbook … On and on the list goes and with it, stress increases. Time always seems to be in short supply.
Read More on what parents can do to tame the time monster
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Time, Intentionality and Family Connection
Last week we considered how family relationships might benefit from the use of intentionality on our time management. We asked you to consider:
Instead of being caught up in the tidal wave of urgency, what might happen if we commit to being intentional about allotting our time? Track actual time expenditure for one week. What did you notice? What changes or adjustments would benefit your family? What grabbed the main share of time? What got squeezed out?
Take a deep breath, and with your mind firmly engaged in neutrality, let’s look at the results. Because it is so important, let’s remember our two parameters: neutrality and intentionality.
Read More on The Intentionality Challenge
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The Coaches' Check-In Corner:
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Coach Gayle Swift
Gayle works with motivated clients to clarify their vision for their families and to articulate the deeply held values that define them. The coaching partnership becomes a stepping stone to bringing client goals into reality. She operates with an inquisitive, neutral, yet rigorous style. When families examine how they are being effective, they can capitalize on their strengths and identify where their learning opportunities lie. Gayle believes, too, that it is important for families to be educated on the special issues that impact a family created through adoption. As Maya Angelou says, as families know better, they do better.
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Readers of the GIFT blog know that our first grandchild arrived seven months ago. We are smitten, our hearts utterly stolen by this precious boy. We've anticipated every milestone, encouraged his efforts ( You can do it! Keep trying.) and celebrated every milestone. ( Yes, you did it! What a hard worker you are.) While he struggled to master the fine art of rolling over without clunking his head on the tile floor, we all nurtured his resistance, comforted his hurts and conveyed confidence that he should continue to try until he succeeded. 
Parents can identify with this familiar and heart-tugging scenario. But this is a blog that focuses on helping adoptive parents how does this relate? This conviction in our child's ability to learn to sit, roll over, stand, cruise, crawl, walk, etc will succeed must infuse our parenting at every age not just through infancy and toddler-hood but also through elementary, middle and high school. As they age, their challenges, failures, missteps and successes require the same kind of learning through failure that our littlest ones mastered. Like butterflies whose very existence depends on the struggle to burst forth from its cocoon, our kids need the gift of struggle as well. We must confine our role to being the guard rail to their journey.
Our job is to be cheerleader, champion and coach without racing in to rescue them.
Let us know what shifts occurred for your family!
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If you or someone you know is seeking assistance, GIFT Family Services is just a phone call away
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GIFT is a full service coaching firm providing support services to adoption/foster families before, during and after adoption. Not only are all of us adoptive parents, we are all certified coaches as well. Coaching focuses on action steps to move families forward through difficulty. Combining our own adoptive family experiences with our professional training enables us to listen without judgment, empathize, and then strategize effective solutions.
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Noteworthy News/Events/Information
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The Adoption Community of New England Returns
ACONE has returned and one of its first activities is sponsoring a conference in March on “Adoption, the Internet and Social Media”. For more information or to register visit rfkchildren.org/acone/acone-conference. The organization is also revamping the advisory council and looking for new members. If interested, please email acone@rfkchildren.org.
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NACAC Continues Hosting Informative Webinars
These webinars are part of an ongoing series featuring a variety of adoption/foster care topics. Each session is taught by acclaimed speakers with extensive experience. You can register for upcoming webinars as well as register to view recorded versions. Fees for each webinar are $15 for NACAC members and $20 for non-members. NACAC provides a certificate of attendance upon request.
To learn more about these training sessions click here
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The Donald Adoption Institute
 
DAI's mission is to better the lives of everyone touched by adoption through sound research, education & advocacy that improves laws, policies & practices.
Read DAI’s latest newsletter
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The Ties Program Continues Offering International Travel to Birth Countries
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The story is simple: Before starting The Ties Program, they were everyday people touched by the adoption constellation. Instinct told them international adoptees would be curious about the places where their lives began.
Read More here
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2016 Kids Conference | Mosaic: The Art of Family
Lowell School | 1640 Kalmia Road NW Washington, DC 20012
Saturday, April 9, 2016 | 9-3 pm, 3-4 pm Family Fun Time, check in starts at 8:30 am
*Free parking available
Click Here to Find Out More
Explore the unique characteristics that each individual brings to their family mosaic. Featuring a panel of adult adoptees, a group of birth parents addressing various topics related to adoption, breakout sessions for kids, and a keynote address from Angela Tucker of the documentary “Closure”, our kids’ conference will examine how diverse characteristics such as race, culture, and community affect adoptive families throughout the lifespan.
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