Other adoptive parent's will understand exactly what I am talking about in this next sentence. What we are experiencing is different than typical 3 year old behavior. And, in a sense, this is reassuring. It tells me my gut instincts about Sidney are right. This is good. It makes me feel better to read x,y, and z behaviors are normal behaviors for a child with a history of traumatic stress. Luckily, I read every book I could get my hands on prior to travel. So, I will continue to read and decide how to best work with Sidney.
Again, this is nothing new. It is the same stuff we have experienced on and off over the last almost 2 year period. Difficulty eating. Food is not a priority. If a person is hungry, and has not eaten for several hours, how can a person say they are so hungry, only to refuse to eat for another 2 hours? Why does a sullen and glazed look fall over Sidney's face each time she hears Mandarin? Why can't I leave the room to get a glass of water without her dissolving into a hysterical crying fit? All of this was answered when I did a simple search on attachment. I also find comfort in knowing a majority of children in Sidney's situation experience this type of behavior to a greater or lesser degree. As with all parenting, we will look for the resources needed to work with Sidney and pray.
On to something a big more lighthearted. I am in the midst of determining how much sliced ham, sliced turkey, peanut butter, bread, fruit, cookies, and on and on and on, it takes to feed 80 kids on four consecutive nights. Our VBS feeds the kids a light dinner. We started doing so, because we have our activities over the dinner hour. I am fortunate to be a stay-at-home mom. I can give my kids a bite to eat before we leave. If I were working, this would be nearly impossible. I have never seen kids wolf down so much food. It's like we can't feed them enough. If you have ever worked in sandwich production on a large scale, give me a shout out. I am trying to figure out how much we actually need.
OK, I'm being called to see "Legonese" soldiers.
1 comment:
Adoption is not an easy journey but the struggles pale by comparison to the blessings! Thanks for sharing your heart.
Ummm a light dinner. One sandwich and some chips per child. Orange or apple slices work well too. Just be sure to serve them and don't let them serve themselves. Way too much food will end up in the trash if they serve themselves. They can always come back for seconds once everyone has been served the first time :0) Frito pie, nachos, pizza and hot dogs were always successful too. We used to feed approximately 70 people every Wednesday night! Our method was to have a team of 4-5 people who prepared dinner each week. If you have enough people to spread out the work load it will help. It's such a huge blessing to the children you are serving!!! Hope that helped a little :0)
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