Reflections in Real Time
Adoption, Fear, and Loving Through the Unknown
When the phone rang, I said yes.
The adoption agency told me the birth mother had used “some drugs, not much.”
I had just turned down another situation where the expectant mother had used substances daily. So when they said “not much,” I believed them...
What Every Parent Needs to Know About Prenatal Substance Exposure
If you're parenting a child with confusing behaviors, learning challenges, or emotional volatility—and nothing seems to work—it might be time to ask a deeper question:
Could this be FASD?
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) affe...
It might look like a tantrum.
A slammed door. A disrespectful tone.
A total refusal to brush teeth, go to school, or follow rules that “should” be simple.
But sometimes, what you’re really witnessing isn’t a child misbehaving.
You’re watching trauma rise up through generations.
And land, screaming...
For years, I believed my son’s struggles were my fault. When he raged, withdrew, or acted out in public, I felt like I was failing as a mother. Every angry outburst, every meltdown, every call from school felt like a flashing neon sign announcing: “You’re doing it wrong.”
If you’ve felt this way to...