Shannon2818

LATEST ARTICLES ( 80 )

• Shannon2818

  I am an adoptive parent living in Detroit with my family. I am the author of the forthcoming speculative fiction series Requited, currently in beta reading.... Read more

  Posted on 20 January 2019 FAMILY, PARENTING

• How to Braid Blond Hair

  

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  Posted on 28 September 2014 FAMILY, PARENTING

• The Interview of a Lifetime

  

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  Posted on 26 July 2014 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Adoption Day 2014

  On June 25, 2010, our adoption became legal. The kids and I had dinner and dessert out today to celebrate. We spent a couple minutes sharing our memories from... Read more

  Posted on 26 June 2014 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Homework Horror

  BC is in kindergarten this year and the homework situation is awful. Every Monday he brings home a packet of work that is due on Friday. For him, the work is... Read more

  Posted on 19 April 2014 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Homework Horror

  BC is in kindergarten this year and the homework situation is awful. Every Monday he brings home a packet of work that is due on Friday. Read more

  Posted on 19 April 2014 FAMILY, PARENTING

• BC’s 6th Birthday

  BC had his 6th birthday earlier this month. I keep thinking about when first we met him, he was just over a year old and still learning to walk. He’s still as... Read more

  Posted on 31 March 2014 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Love in the D

  

  J and I got married in 2005 in the Detroit suburbs. At that time, I hardly had any experience with Detroit. I had rarely been there and couldn’t find my way... Read more

  Posted on 15 March 2014 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Thankful

  I always make my kids write thank you notes for the gifts they receive, usually for Christmas and birthdays. BE just had her 9th birthday, so we were working... Read more

  Posted on 13 March 2014 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Thankful

  

  I always make my kids write thank you notes for the gifts they receive, usually for Christmas and birthdays. BE just had her 9th birthday, so we were working... Read more

  Posted on 13 March 2014 FAMILY, PARENTING

• The Unrealized Dream

  Thanks to their teachers, both of my kids are familiar with Martin Luther King Jr, what he worked for, and the things he said. A few days ago, BE told us that... Read more

  Posted on 21 January 2014 FAMILY, PARENTING

• An Unfortunate Christmas Tree

  

  For many years, I had a “themed” Christmas tree. Only star shaped ornaments in gold, silver, or white were allowed. The kids first moved in with us at... Read more

  Posted on 19 December 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Breakdown

  J and I still own the house we lived in before we moved to Detroit. It was empty for a few months while we were looking for new renters. Read more

  Posted on 09 December 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Open Adoption Interview Project: Meet Camille

  Open Adoption Bloggers hosts an annual Open Adoption Interview Project in which bloggers interview each other about – what else – open adoption. This year I... Read more

  Posted on 26 November 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING

• A Rare Opportunity

  

  Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to do something most adoptive parents never get to do: I went to my kids’ foster home. For a year and half, BE and BC... Read more

  Posted on 30 October 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Foster Care is Like Chemotherapy

  I recently met someone who works to help former prisoners re-integrate into society. I asked her what she would change to improve the system. Read more

  Posted on 15 October 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Why School Diversity is Important

  

  As Detroit Public School (DPS) students, my kids are a racial minority. However, DPS does have more diversity than most people realize, making it about as... Read more

  Posted on 08 October 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Validating Negativity

  Right now, BC is driving me crazy. His behavior and listening skills are lacking and he doesn’t seem to have much empathy. (Now that I think about it, BE had... Read more

  Posted on 01 October 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Talking About Adoption with an 8-year-old

  When BE and I were at the market this summer, she asked me about something that might or might not have happened when she was a baby. I responded, “I don’t know... Read more

  Posted on 24 September 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING

• Three Grandpas, Two Moms, Two Dads

  In Michigan, where I live, same sex marriage is illegal. Regardless of how you feel about same sex marriage, I believe our approach should be about what’s best... Read more

  Posted on 18 September 2013 FAMILY, PARENTING