- Still Standing
- What I Saw the Day of the Family Photos
- The Downward Spiral of My Son’s Behavior
- How Do I Talk to My Adopted Kids About Their Birth Family?
- The Day We Told Our Son About His Past
- I Called the Police for My Own Son…and I’m a Good Mom.
- The Worst Father’s Day…but it Wasn’t
- What It’s Like to Take Your Child to the Hospital for Mental Health Care
- What It’s Like When Your Child Needs Inpatient Mental Health Care
- What Visits Are Like When Your Child Gets Inpatient Mental Health Care
- What Life is Like When Your Child Has Mental Health Issues
- When Grief and Hope Come in Waves
- Attachment Therapy: When a New Start is Scary
- When You Beg God for a Miracle
- Tough Vacation Decisions for Kids with Special Needs
- When Kids Take Medication for Behavior
- Water Balloon Therapy: A Fun Approach to Attachment Therapy
- When You Are Humbled
- He Goes to the Park
- How to Measure Progress in Tough Situations
- When My Adopted Child Cries for His Birth Mom
- The Two Equally Important Jobs of Every Parent
- How to Shift Conversations with Challenging Kids
- What to Do When Your Kids Lie to You
- Dodge and Weave
- When the Life Has Been Sucked Out of You
- Every Test in Your Life Makes You Bitter or Better.
- Mornings, Bedtimes, and Other Routines for Kids with Trauma History
- What Happens to the Sibling of a Special Needs Child
- I’m the Most Stubborn
- Watching Miracles Unfold
- How to Find Peace…When You Don’t Get Your Happy Ending
The day of the family photos, I see a major problem coming.
Getting these photos is one of those things we had been talking about doing forever, but we kept putting off because, well…having our family’s picture professionally taken?
I’d rather poke a fork in my eye.
Seven people, looking at the camera, smiling. No one making googley eyes, picking their nose, picking their brother’s nose?
Impossible.
But, I do want the adorable finished product. So, family photo session it is.
The photographer who took our daughter Bekah’s senior photos is awesome. She takes photos on the side as a hobby and is basically laid back and wonderful. Perfect for our crew.
First, we set a date and it rained. Cancel.
The Day of the Family Photos
May, 2015
We rescheduled. The weather is…lousy.
Then it clears…mostly. We dress everyone up and head out.
Brave photographer Colleen calls me on the way to the photo shoot. “I’m willing to try this if you are, but I’ve got to tell you, it’s really windy down here. You might look like you are in a wind tunnel.”
I debate for about 5 seconds and then say, “We’re coming.”
Just getting us all ready in the matchy-but-not-too-matchy clothes is event enough. I didn’t know if I could survive it again.
The kids are hyper and the weather isn’t great, but all in all it really wasn’t too bad.
We laugh a lot. We get fantastic photos.
In between pictures, the kids fight with sticks. (Is there ANYTHING that does not become a weapon in the hands of a little boy?) So I say, why not? Everyone picks one up, and we have a stick war. (After all, we want a true depiction of our family.)
And yet.
There is something in my mother heart that knows our time together as a family is short.
Something darker is brewing.
We have been having trouble, really serious trouble with our 10 year old son, both at home and at school. There is a heavier turn to his rages that has me deeply worried. This is beyond what should be okay. This is so not okay.
He is scaring me, and I don’t scare easily.
Will he be able to stay with our family? Will we be safe?
Will he have to live in residential treatment?
When the pictures came back, I see it there. He’s adorable and his grin is as charming as ever, but there’s a fear and unsettledness behind those eyes I know so well.
My son is feeling it too.
Still Standing
Bible Verse
Forever, O Lord, your word
is firmly fixed in the heavens.
Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
By your appointment they stand this day,
for all things are your servants.Psalm 119:89-91
Journal Prompt
As you think back on your life, were there times you sensed a dark time was coming? What did you do?
Resources
Have you downloaded your FREE Still Standing Bible Journaling Kit?
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- Still Standing
- What I Saw the Day of the Family Photos
- The Downward Spiral of My Son’s Behavior
- How Do I Talk to My Adopted Kids About Their Birth Family?
- The Day We Told Our Son About His Past
- I Called the Police for My Own Son…and I’m a Good Mom.
- The Worst Father’s Day…but it Wasn’t
- What It’s Like to Take Your Child to the Hospital for Mental Health Care
- What It’s Like When Your Child Needs Inpatient Mental Health Care
- What Visits Are Like When Your Child Gets Inpatient Mental Health Care
- What Life is Like When Your Child Has Mental Health Issues
- When Grief and Hope Come in Waves
- Attachment Therapy: When a New Start is Scary
- When You Beg God for a Miracle
- Tough Vacation Decisions for Kids with Special Needs
- When Kids Take Medication for Behavior
- Water Balloon Therapy
- When You Are Humbled
- He Goes to the Park
- How to Measure Progress in Tough Situations
- When My Adopted Child Cries for His Birth Mom
- The Two Equally Important Jobs of Every Parent
- How to Shift Conversations with Challenging Kids
- What to Do When Your Kids Lie to You
- Dodge and Weave
- When the Life Has Been Sucked Out of You
- Every Test in Your Life Makes You Bitter or Better.
- Mornings, Bedtimes, and Other Routines for Kids with Trauma History
- What Happens to the Sibling of a Special Needs Child
- I’m the Most Stubborn
- Watching Miracles Unfold
- How to Find Peace…When You Don’t Get Your Happy Ending
Foster & Adoptive Parents
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*Foster & adoptive parents, grandparents raising grandkids, if your child has experienced trauma or loss -- this resource is JUST FOR YOU!
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Amanda says
This is good and gives me a peak into the future where troubles are more than just potty training and sleep. And yes sticks are some sort of weapon. 🙂
Laura says
Thank you for making this available. As another adoptive mom of a foster son on a similar path, I appreciate you sharing your story and offering a free bible study. This is so perfectly what I needed and I can’t thank you enough for allowing God to speak this through you to encourage others. Thank you so much and God bless, Laura
Sara says
Thanks for your comment, Laura! You made my day by sharing. My hope and prayer with this series was that I could help other parents in similar situations.
Melissa says
I’m going to need to kleenex to get through your posts this month lol.