In some cases of stepparent adoption, the adoption takes place when the child is still very young, and either too young to understand what adoption means, or simply too young at the time of the event to remember that an adoption occurred. It is very important for the family to keep the lines of communication open about adoption, and not to keep the adoption a secret from the child. If the adoption is not spoken about on a regular basis, or at the very least, from time to time the parents will find themselves at one point or another wondering just how to tell their... more

According to a recent article written by the Mayo Clinic, childhood obesity has doubled in rate for preschoolers and adolescents, and has more than tripled in rate for children whom are in the six to eleven age bracket.

This has really gotten me thinking of my own family, and even though none of us are overweight, we could certainly stand to be a more physically active family. While both my husband and myself have focused on the children being emotionally and physically healthy, we have seemingly let slide keeping all of us in... more

Many times when we have been dealing with a child whom has been exhibiting difficult behaviors our views of that child can become tainted with the frustration that is felt over their behaviors. We begin to see the child as bad, instead of the behavior. It becomes the child whom is the problem instead of the problem behaviors in which he or she has been demonstrating.

Once this shift in view begins to take place, it can become extremely difficult for parents to allow the child new chances to prove him or herself to the parent, as the... more

It is no secret that children crave sweets. What seems to be a secret is that those sweets do not have to be snack cakes, or the latest in snack chip flavors, but nature at its finest! The Agricultural Marketing Service has compiled a national database in the hopes of helping families to find the sweets that they crave, in the form of fresh fruits and vegetables, by developing a website which lists local farmers markets, state by state.

Currently in the United States, there are more people who suffer from obesity than who suffer from... more

Below is an interesting article on how the world is becoming more obese by the day. Without taking care of our own nutrition as adults, how can we expect our children to be healthy, as well as to make healthy living choices as adults? By finding the time, and making the effort, we can ensure that our children can grow up to be physically as well as mentally and emotionally stable and healthy adults. Without finding and making that time, are we doomed to being an overweight, and underproductive society? With all of the added issues that... more

Often times when a new parent comes into a situation, their parenting style tends to clash with that of the absent parents style for various reasons. While some of those reasons may simply be personal preference in how to handle a particular situation, other times the driving force to disagreeing with an absent parent is to seem as though the new parent is somehow a better, or cooler parent than the absent one.

Even if the child happens to agree with the adoptive parent on how the absent parent was wrong, comparing the two parents against one and... more

Sometimes in an adoptive stepparent situation, it can be hard for the biological parent to let the adoptive stepparent actually be a parent to the child. Used to being the only one to parent the child, the biological parent may undermine the adoptive stepparent, without meaning to. In other cases, the biological parents have an extremely close relationship with their child, or children from being alone together for a significant amount of time. This can lead the biological parent to become overprotective of the child, or children, feeling as though only... more

Going through the trauma of being rejected by a birth parent can leave large emotional wounds that the adopted stepchild simply does not know how to deal with. Instead of working through their feelings and emotions in a productive manner, they begin to act out; lying, stealing, as well as even being physically and verbally abusive toward others, which does not exclude his or her parents when it comes to being targets.

Many parents are thrown off completely when their child begins to exhibit such behaviors as the ones that are listed above. Going... more

As adults, when we are faced with trying times in our life, where we need guidance and support, we have family, friends, support groups to lean on when we aren’t sure which way to turn in life. It is important for children to have such support systems in place so that they too can find support from others who have faced similar challenges as their own.

Although stepparent adoption is the most common form of adoption, it is a subject that is rarely discussed. Often times in an attempt to ‘normalize’ the family, the adoption is not spoken about at home, or shared with... more

Chances are someone close to your child does. With younger and younger children taking the risk, and trying illicit drugs each year, it is never too early to begin talking to your child, or children about the dangers of drugs and drug abuse, as well as educating oneself on what behaviors, signs, and symptoms to be on the lookout for in your child.

The world of drugs is an entire sub culture, complete with its own slang for every substance that a person can obtain a high off of. These slang terms are often used as code words, so that others around, such as parents,... more