Abortion
CDC: 35% of Babies Aborted in 2013 Were Black by Michael W. Chapman
Adoption
Building Relationships by Jackie Semar, M.Ed.
(Souce: www.childfound.org email)
I want to share a rule of thumb for engagement and building relationships …
DO togethers:
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take a walk
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make a pie
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clean the cupboards
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decorate the tree
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sing songs
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rake the yard
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play ball
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make soup
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fold laundry
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make the holidays about sharing experiences, not gifts
These are positive activities. These ground children in family life, responsibility and accomplishment.
DON’T:
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go shopping
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watch endless TV or sports
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stay inside
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let Mom do all the housework
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fret over Christmas planning
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commit to do too much, get stressed
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over-gift—keep things small, simple, even hand-made
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let the commercialism of the holidays define you or your family
With adopted kids in mind, the holidays can be overwhelming. Please do not misinterpret excitement and over-stimulation as healthy. In many cases, it is not. If you are sliding down a snow-covered hill on a sled with your child, that is healthy-exciting. If you are at the mall and it is crowded and you are worried about getting gift shopping done, that is not healthy-exciting. Material things distract and detract from building relationships. Keep it simple. When the Christmas music starts playing in your head, hear “Simple Holidays” not “Happy Holidays”.
Think of where your child came from, and how little he or she had. Your best strategy is to be very moderate, simple, relaxed—and minimize the difference from past experiences and present. Ask your child what favorite foods marked the holidays? What favorite activities? (Not favorite gifts, as they may have never received any.) Then incorporate favorite foods and activities from his or her past into the present. This helps with transition, helps to prevent feelings of loss and dislocation. Integrate past and present. This will make for a happier child and family.
Bioethics
Staggering discarded embryo figures released in UK by Xavier Symons
End-of-Life
Netherlands offers euthanasia for alcoholics by Michael Cook – “It’s certainly less bother than a 12-step program in Alcoholics Anonymous”
Video: Mark Davis Pickup Presentation to Catholic Social Services Staff – Mark wrote, “I spoke about incurable illness and disability to a staff meeting of Catholic Social Services in Edmonton, Alberta, (Canada). It was for a training series they call The Sophia Talks.”
Family Living
How to marry the right person by Betsy Kerekes – “Five tips to get you started on the path to a happy marriage.”
My Husband Lives On in Her Eyes by Amy Kimmet-Humfeld – “When Amy Kimmet-Humfeld said goodbye for the last time to her unconscious husband, she felt lost and unprepared to parent their unborn child. But her daughter turned out to be her saving grace — and the new love of her life.”
This grossly offensive video has been banned in France. Watch it if you dare by Michael Cook – “Why? It features happy Down syndrome children.”
Fetal Development
Dutch team creates 3D atlas of human embryo by Michael Cook
Worldview and Culture
86-Year-Old Man Taught Himself How to Knit So He Could Make Hats for Babies by Maria Carter – “More than 300 preemies received cozy caps thanks to him.”
How to talk to your children about Donald Trump: a guide for liberal progressives by Dr. Joel McDurmon
“Cruxifiction”: Numbing media reaction after a mayor renames Good Friday by Jim Davis