“Hi there! My name is Piper. Your adventures in your growing world are so important that you are going to write them down in this life book. This is your story! You might have a caseworker, foster parents, or adoptive parents who can help you along as you write your story. They will also do their best to help you record information that you may not know.

As you work on your story, you might notice that you have a lot of different feelings. If the information is new to you, you might be excited to find out more about your life! However, there may be things that you think about and record that could make you sad or angry. Don’t worry! We’ll all help you on your journey. All of your feelings are important, and none of them are wrong to feel.

Enjoy the adventure of writing your story!!! If you need to skip a page, go for it! Try to take the time to come back to it later when you feel ready to work on it. It’s more important to think and feel through these pages than to complete each one quickly and in order. You’ll find that some of the pages are just for your enjoyment, and you might find some activities that you can do with other people too! Have fun creating your life book. Happy writing and drawing!”

Kathleen Carroll

Author of “My Growing World”

Professionals agree that all children need to have their story documented and accessible. This is especially true for “system kids” who shuffle from home to home, losing their stories along the way.

Until now, “documenting” has been easier said than done. When given a blank scrapbook, foster parents often feel overwhelmed or “creatively challenged”, and, consequently, put this task aside…or forget altogether.

Here at Adoption World, we want to provide you with all of the materials you need to make connections with a child. Whether the child is in foster care or adopted, preserving the details of their life is so important. There are many ways to keep their precious memories safe. One way is to scrapbook. It is a fun and interactive way to document all of the child’s milestones.

Our book called “Your Foster Care Memory Book” is an easy to use scrapbook for the foster parent. It allows concise, practical documentation of a single placement. The book starts with a place for the child’s name so they can keep it with them always. Then onto an intro letter that explains to the child what the book is for. The pages of the scrapbook guide you seamlessly through the process. The information and photos that you collect will be treasured by the child for years to come.

The “Your Foster Care Memory Book” comes with a large “Stuff to Save” envelope that allows the child to keep their treasures together in one place.

The Foster-To-Adopt Child Booklet

The Foster-to-Adopt “Child” booklet explains that adoption is a big word for small people. In addition to Adoption World Specialties’ array of adoption life books and foster life books, this booklet is a valuable tool for use by parents when they’ve decided to adopt. The adoptive child has many questions and this booklet was written to help them understand what adoption is and how it is different from foster care. Our friends, Ja’mar and Michael and Sarah will help to explain how they traveled the path from being foster children to being adopted by their forever families.

Ja’mar says: “When I was a baby, I lived with my mom and dad. They had a lot of fights. I didn’t like the yelling. Then, when I was five, I went to live with somebody else. After my mom and dad got a divorce, I went back home to live with my mom again, but she still had too many problems. Then she went away somewhere with her boyfriend and didn’t come back. My grandma tried to help, but she got sick and I couldn’t stay with her anymore. Now, my foster parents have adopted me. I’m sure glad they have pets.”

Michael and Sarah say: “Our social worker said we won’t ever live with our mom or dad again. That made my sister, Sarah, cry, but I’m bigger and I’ll take care of her. And our new parents know a lot ‘bout stuff and tuck us into bed at night. They have adopted us and so that means we have a new name and we’ll be their kids forever.”

When your foster family adopts a child, many things take place. As the children explain, Ja’mar says: “My foster mom took me to visit the courthouse ahead of time so I wouldn’t feel so scared. But I still worried that the judge would say “no”. Instead, she shook my hand and said, “Ja’mar, your adoptive parents are lucky to have you for their son.” I had my picture taken with her… she was really nice.

Michael and Sarah also shared with us. Michael says: “Adoption means that I get to have a birthday party every year with the same family.” Sarah says: “Getting adopted was fun. I got a balloon and a new Betsy Baby Doll.”

After adoption, what changes? Some things will change and some will not. A list of child wonderments as follows: Your birthday will not change! Other things that probably won’t change include the child’s bedtime, where they sleep, chores, rules, school or church, friends, pets and weekly activities. Things that will change can be laid out as follows: The social worker, lawyer or judge no longer will decide what is best for the child, like when that child should go to the dentist, if they can stay overnight with a friend or go on a school fieldtrip. After adoption, that is the parents’ job because that’s how it’s supposed to work in families.

When the adoption is final, a new birth certificate will be sent to the parents saying that the child is now their SON or their DAUGHTER. Another change that happens for most kids is a name change! Guess what?! Some kids think that a new name is fun! Some kids thing that a new name sounds strange. Some kids worry… this is a key issue the foster parents can discuss with their child prior to adoption.

Last, it is important that the child’s memories are kept sacred. It will be OK to remember and talk about the birth family members the child is separated from. New parents won’t expect the child to forget about places they lived or pets that they cared about before that child came to their care. Ja’mar says, “I have pictures of my mom. I put them in my life book. Then when I miss her, I just open my book and that makes me feel better. But I wish I had a picture of my dad… and…Rusty. He’s the dog I used to have. He always went along with my dad and me when we went fishing.” Michael and Sarah comment, “When Mother’s Day comes, I think about my mom and I wonder what she’s doing. Then I feel sad that I’m not with her. Her name is Jody. She has long hair.”

To the child:

Well, adoption is still a big word, isn’t it? Adoption World Specialties hopes you understand things a little better now. Did you know that many children, who need a permanent family, have to wait… and wait… and wait? They aren’t as lucky as you are to have foster parents who love them and want to adopt them. Of all the things you have learned from this special book, most of all we want you to remember that YOU ARE LOVEABLE… AND LOVED! www.AdoptionWorld.net

The Foster-To-Adopt Parent Booklet

The Foster-to-Adopt Parent booklet consists of valuable advice aimed at parents who are thinking of adopting their foster child. There are many decisions about adopting, adoption is a big step! You already have a relationship with your foster child and understand his/her situation. And, you have invested much of yourself in the child’s well being and future. Parental rights are finally terminated… so, why not adopt and give this child the love and security of a permanent family?

Like marriage, adoption is a lifetime commitment that affects the lives of many people. It must be considered carefully before taking such a big step. Adoption World Specialties publishes this foster parent booklet, serving to provide perspectives for you to consider; make pre-adoption suggestions; alert you to post-adoption changes that you might experience, and offer suggestions for working through some of the issues that might surface.

You may already have a foster life book or foster story book. There is a supplemental chapter if you decide to adopt, which includes a storyline encompassing the adoption process. You can order this chapter from Adoption World Specialties, link below.

The topics our Foster-to-Adopt Parent booklet touches on are as follows: Is adoption the right choice for you? For the child? At this time? Then it lays out many questions you might want to consider. This booklet explains how you may want to handle birth parent issues. It touches on how important attachment can be. It asks what might the future hold for your child? For you as adoptive parents?

So you’ve given it serious thought and want to move ahead into adoption. What’s next? As adoption day nears, be prepared for “pre-adoption “ jitters! After finalization, be prepared for child’s grieving or a change in behavior. After adoption, what will be different… what will be the same? Should you continue to foster parent?

Please discover our world of information on foster life books, foster-to-adopt guides, adoption life books, and adoption workbooks at www.AdoptionWorld.net because this is an important decision for your family – please make it carefully!