Julie, our Parenting Children with Special Needs blogger, has already written a post about this book (and she's a contributor!), but frankly, it's such a wonderful book and so encyclopedic in nature, every blogger on this site could probably sing its praises.

Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections, published by EMK Press, is a collection of essays by over 100 contributors - parents, doctors, psychologists, social workers, and others - all about parenting the adopted child.

I will be writing several posts about this book since I think it's so useful and most adoptive parents can get a lot out of it. Like I said above, it is literally encyclopedic in nature. Here are the sections:

• Getting Started



• Sleep



• Claiming (i.e. Attachment)



• Language



• Food



• Baggage



• Discipline



• Loss & Grief



• Transitions



• Siblings



• Narratives



• Learning



• School



• Race



• Older Child Adoption



• Challenges



• Support



• Therapy



• Journey

I will be doing a post on each of these sections, but first, let me talk about the foreword, which was written by Adam Pertman, the author of Adoption Nation and the Executive Director of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute.

Here's what he says about the book:

Adoption Parenting: Creating a Toolbox, Building Connections ... is premised on the understanding that adoption isn't the revalatory 'win-win' solution we used to pretend it was. But that doesn't mean that this book portrays adoption as a downer or inferior or inherently problematic or anything of the sort. Quite the opposite; we can truly honor an institution that provides homes for kids who need them, gives adults the opportunity to revel in the joys of parenthood, and does those things in an honest, respectful way. Recognizing that there are unique challenges in 'nontraditional' families - whether led by single parents, step-parents, divorced parents, grandparents, gay parents, adoptive parents, or any other sort of parents - doesn't diminish those families. It just recognizes the differences within them, and that's a very good thing because parents generally do a better job when they understand their children's (and their own) realities and needs.

Rah, rah. Sis boom bah. And that's why the next week will be all about this book!