Tuesday, April 1, 2008

What we're doing to pass the time....

We are a good bit into the stage where all we really have to do is wait for a referral (which is harder than it sounds). Zack and I are beginning to concentrate more on parenting skills and issues specific to transracial adoption. We have started reading "I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla", a book that deals with racing healthy children in a race conscious world. We are also reading "Parenting with Love and Logic", which is a general parenting book that deals with raising responsible kids. Something we definitely want to do.


We are of course soooo excited to be parents soon....but every now and then a twinge of anxiety creeps in as well, especially since I am currently enrolled in a graduate class that focuses on growth and development throughout the lifespan. What have I learned? Parents and the parenting skills they choose to utilize have a huge impact!!


Just watch Supernanny and you will understand what I am saying people!!



You tell them Supernanny!!!



Oh well, I think it is normal to be anxious about becoming a parent. It is a good kind of stress :)

10 comments:

Karen said...

Oh my gosh, I LOVE Supernanny. She's the best. :)

Unknown said...

HI! I am glad you desire to be such good parents. That is so cool!
We had to read love and logic for our homestudy and we thought it was SO bad. I know it is popular and give raging reviews, but Jonathan and I thought many of the ideas did not flow with the grain of scripture. I hope you take the good bits that are in it though....we did not find many. ( The one super good thing this book stresses is consistancy and always backing up your words). :)

Are you suprised at how opinionated I am? ! LOL

We take parenting and biblical practice very serisouly ...sounds like you will to!

If I did not scare you off and you would like to know some parenting books that we would recomend, e mail me and I will give you the low down! :)

Humble me...

Kristin

Rebecca Caldwell said...

Hey Kris,
I would love to hear what books you would suggest...we have just started reading the love and logic book :)

Thanks!!

tisha said...

Rebecca,
I understand those twinges of anxiety. I know you guys will be great parents!
Thanks for your encouraging comments on my blog. :)
Tisha

Anonymous said...

Big Love & Logic fan here!! A must buy is the Love & Logic Magic for Early Childhood!! If you are interested in a love and logic parent board, let me know!!
Enjoy the wait time...It is a difficult time, but also a great time of growth!!
Darcy

K.P. said...

Hey. I know you will be a great parent. The fact that you are concerned about it enough to read a book (or two) gives you a leg up on most. :) Can't wait to meet in 9 days! (Sadly...I'll have no picture.)

KP

Sherry said...

It's fun for me knowing that you are just a couple months ahead of us. That means you'll likely be traveling about the time we get our referral. Looking forward to traveling this journey with you!

Sherry Semlow :)

E said...

Hi, there...just had to chime in on parenting books! Love them! We've really loved reading James Dobson's books and base a lot (far from all) of our parenting on his style. However, I really like a book called Grace-Based parenting.

One huge thing I've learned in my 5+ measly years as a parent (I'm far from a pro) is that God gives us a lot of grace & a lot of wiggle room with our kids. He doesn't expect us to be perfect parents and He will fill in the gaps for us if we rely on Him & do our part (love our kids, be consistent, be engaged)!

I definitely don't stress out like I used to do (though I have my moments) - especially not like pre-kids when you really don't know what to expect (fear of the unknown and all that). One good thing: you get better at it with time! :) And though there are many different approaches to parenting, you will find YOUR approach that works best for you & Zack with your children!

And (sorry) I don't adore Love & Logic either (I'm with Kristin). Sometimes I really question how "love" is practiced in the book. That's just me and I have a good friend who loves the book. There are definitely some good parts to it, but I think they miss the mark in a big way sometimes, IMHO (and it is just that).

If you guys end up with a boy, I highly recommend Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson. Another favorite of mine for babies is Secrets of the Baby Whisperer by Tracy Hogg - this is fantastic for getting baby (even older babies) on schedule (sleeping, eating, etc.). Very different than her approach are books by Dr. Sears (but I love him, too!!!).

Also, I really, really love Power of the Praying Parent by Stormie Omartian. I really think covering our children in prayer is one of the greatest parenting tools we have at our disposal!

Hope this helps a little. Happy reading! I'm sure you & Zack are going to be fantastic!!!

Erica

Jori said...

Well, havn't read love & logic (don't know if I will??); chocolate and vanilla is a great info. and for boys ( I have 2 girls & 1 boy- my youngest)I love Dobson's "bringing up boys".

Blessings, Jori
WFR 02/19 either x2

Anonymous said...

We Love her too!!! For real...I found myself using her techniques when getting Sakari to sleep through the night!!!! You guys will be great parents...when God handpicks the baby for you...it makes it easier, we've loved it SOOOO much! It's much better in real life than we imagined. tonight we started the Growing Kids God's way series...it's had nothing but rave reviews on the detail and technique, now...the video graphics, format and fashion used is not "state of the art" but it's about the message not the look, right?? :-)