A few months ago, the Our Children program, Raising Black Children Across Racial Lines brought together transracial adoptees and adoptive parents. Together, they discussed the unique issues brought about when white parents raise children of color. Some recurrent themes stood out ...
The Cradle Blog
May 18,2018
Last year, The Cradle hosted a roundtable as part of the Our Children initiative. Called Raising Black Girls, the roundtable addressed the complex issues involved in parenting a Black girl in today's society.
May 01,2018
There is no fixed definition for "normal" behavior. It varies by person, time, place and situation. Challenges may crop up for your family that therapists in The Cradle’s Center for Lifelong Adoption Support (CLAS) can help you work through.
February 05,2018
The Adoptive Family Weekend is full and we will not be taking anymore registrations. If you would like to be informed about next year's event please email us at AdoptiveFamilyWeekend@gmail.com and request to be put on our mailing list. Thank you!
July 11,2017
Homeland visits can be a great way to help your child understand their roots. They can provide important information for them to craft identities around, and are experiences they will carry with them throughout their lifetime. Cradle adoption therapist Mandy Jones has some recommendations for families who are considering planning one of these trips.
July 11,2017
Cradle adoption therapist Mandy Jones has a lot going on. In addition to her counseling practice at The Cradle and her work with families as a certified Theraplay® therapist, this past winter she ventured all the way to Vietnam with The Ties Program.
July 26,2016
A critical decision every parent makes for their child is deciding where they will go to school. We want the best for our children and know how foundational a good education is to reaching their full potential.
May 20,2016
The Cradle’s Our Children initiative launched in February of 2016 with the “Raising Black Boys” roundtable, here in Chicago.
April 25,2016
Imagine that a child refuses to hold your little boy's hand because he is Black. Imagine shopping with your 12 and 15 year old sons and having them followed throughout the store and questioned as to why they are there. Imagine a neighbor refusing to play with your daughter because she has brown skin.
February 26,2016
The "Hope" episode of Blackish that aired this week was so powerful for me, as a person of color and as a mom. I found myself tearing up many times during and afterwards as I considered the impact I feel towards the topic of injustice and racism and my job as a mom to Black children.
February 22,2016
The evening of February 18th was one of the highlights of my professional career. It was the kick-off event to our multi-year series Our Children, and we started with a tough topic that needs to be discussed. I couldn't be more excited!
October 22,2015
Adoption can sometimes add a layer of complexity to lives. Interviews with adopted people reveal some common themes, common trigger points and topics of interest. Here are a few we've noticed:
Figuring out what “adopted” means
September 12,2015
It is very common for adopted children to have biological siblings who are living with their birth parents. However, for some parents (adoptive and birth parents alike), talking to their children about siblings who don't live with them can seem tricky.
August 10,2015
The teenage years can be challenging for any child, but for some adopted teens, the prospect of growing older and potentially leaving home can sometimes add layer of complexity.
May 13,2015
The Cradle had the great fortune of sponsoring Mei Kelly for her Senior Studies project at Evanston Township High School. Adopted at nine months old from Southern China, Mei wants to share the stories of adopted teens in the U.S. today.
April 22,2015
Last month we had a screening of the documentary Closure, which is a story that follows the life of an adopted person in her quest to find her birth parents.
March 26,2015
No matter what your relationship is with your adopted tween or teen’s birth family, your child may look on the Internet or social media out of curiosity for connections her birth family. If she expresses a wish to friend her birthmom on Facebook or you stumble on a Google search in progress, what should you do? Should you try to help, warn her of your concerns or disconnect your home Internet?
February 16,2015
Teenagers start thinking themselves as separate from the family unit. They’re becoming independent and don’t need the constant guidance of their parents to make decisions for them.