the language barrier

here's my second post on 'continuing education'. i've been re-reading "Toddler Adoption: The Weaver's Craft" by Mary Hopkins-Best (which is excellent by the way) and trying to glean and remember all of the great information.

here was one little section that i found really interesting and wanted to mentally 'bookmark' for later.

for when we need to converse with our little noodle!

here's an excerpt that i found useful:

"Parents who share their thoughts on their first experiences in trying to understand their toddler - and to be understood in return - recommend that new families work on acquiring some functional vocabulary while they await their child's arrival.  Joining a language club, enrolling in a language class, or having a set of conversational tapes, compact discs, or books can focus parents' energies and allay their fears about communicating with their toddler in the first few weeks. One mother stressed the importance of learning some minimal survival phrases and words such as:


I'll be back
I am your mama/papa
no
yes
i love you
food/eat
stop
come here
show me where it hurts
toilet

Once home and part of their new families, it is astonishing to witness just how quickly toddlers adapt to a new language and begin to make it their own."

let's learn together

going through this process has opened my eyes to the world of adoption.  i'm enjoying and trying to soak up as much as possible in terms of educating myself to be the best advocate i can be for adoption.

so this may be post #1 in a little educational series I'm going to be doing throughout the process. Mostly for my own benefit to, but also in hopes that you, the reader, can benefit from this knowledge and do your best to share these truths with others around you.

i was reading "The Whole Life Adoptions Book" (Schooler & Atwood) a few weeks ago and came across a good resource for good guide when it comes to adoption 'language'.

Accurate Language	Less Accurate Language
Birthparent	Real parent, natural parent
My child	Adopted child, own child
Choosing an adoption plan	Giving away, giving up your child
Finding a family to parent your child	Putting your child up for adoption
Deciding to parent the child	Keeping your baby
Person/individual who was adopted	Adoptee
To parent	To keep
Child in need of a family	Adoptable child, available child
Parent	Adoptive parent
International or intercountry adoption	Foreign adoption
Child who has special needs	Handicapped child; hard-to-place child
Child from another country	Foreign child
Was adopted	Is adopted
Birth Relative	Blood relative