Starting in January and going through March, each family that becomes an MLJ Adoptions’ client by making a first payment, will receive a free copy of The Connected Child.
MLJ Adoptions is committed to supporting parents before, during and after adoption. One of the ways we work to do so is by preparing families as best as we can to parent an adopted child. Our clients are required to take at least ten hours of Hague compliant education, and to read The Connected Child.
Karyn B. Purvis, Ph.D., is one of the prominent researchers in the area of child development. She directs Texas Christian University’s Institute of Child Development and is the author of several books, including The Connected Child. Through her research and experience, Dr. Purvis has shed light on troubled behaviors and helped parents see past the behavior to a child’s hurts. Adoption is birthed out of loss and for some families this can be a hard reality to face. Her books and trainings have given hope to families and equipped parents to better meet the needs of their child.
Children from hard places may experience situations in their early lives that affect them for the rest of their life; situations void of hope, and situations that have left scars on their delicate hearts. These scars and past hurts can cause disruptive behaviors that can put added stress on adoptive parents. The loss a child experiences early in his or her life can be traumatic, and affect the rest of his or her life. The loss and trauma can have unintended consequences on their brain development and abilities to form meaningful relationships.
We want to engage families about how the loss and trauma can impact a child’s life. Families may have to parent their adopted child differently than their biological children, just as they may have to apply different parenting styles to their biological children depending on the child’s needs. The Connected Child connects the how and the why; effectively educating parents to be the best parents they can be to a child from a hard place. Part of their family’s adoption journey may involve helping their child process hurts, and move them towards healing. We want to give parents resources to learn how and why throughout the adoption process.
Parenting an adopted child is a lifelong commitment, and adoptive families will tell you it is one of the most rewarding journeys they have taken.
Starting in January and going through March, each family that becomes an MLJ Adoptions’ client by making a first payment will receive a free copy of The Connected Child.
Caitlin Snyder
Caitlin Snyder works as the Director of Marketing and Outreach for MLJ Adoptions. Working in international adoption has given Caitlin the unique opportunity to pursue both a passion to advocate on behalf of vulnerable people and a profession at the same time.
Caitlin Snyder
Caitlin Snyder works as the Director of Marketing and Outreach for MLJ Adoptions. Working in international adoption has given Caitlin the unique opportunity to pursue both a passion to advocate on behalf of vulnerable people and a profession at the same time.