Hi friends....welcome! I bet your life has been touched by adoption! You may be an adopted person, a birth or adoptive parent, a grandparent, or an adoption professional. Your best friend or spouse may be an adoptee. Whatever the reason, welcome! I hope you will find what you're looking for here. This site is the accumulation of 18 years of positive, informative, and inspirational pre and post-adoption resources. I'll share fresh coaching tips and videos in response to questions you can submit.(http://sherrieeldridge.blogspot.com. The speaking page will show upcoming events, or perhaps you'd like to plan an event? (http://tinyurl.com/2arcbws). The 100-member, international all-adoptee online group provides a place for adoptees to share with those who "get it." (all-adoptee@yahoogroups.com). Check out adoption books at the store: 20 Things Adoptive Parents Need to Succeed, Questions Adoptees Are Asking, Forever Fingerprints...An Amazing Discovery for Adopted Children, and 20 Things Adoptive Parents Need to Succeed. At the store link, there are also five, downloadable, test-marketed workbooks, perfect for your post-adoption needs. They have proved life transformative for adoption support groups, adoptive/foster families, counselors/clients, and teens/parents. And...they're free, my gift to you!

Sherrie's birth mother, Elizabeth and her adoptive mother, Retha.

Are You a Successful Adoptive Parent?

1. Is parenting your adopted child more challenging than you anticipated?

2. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 signifying the best, what is your confidence level as a parent today?

3. Is your parenting confidence level steady, gradually changing, or unpredictable?

4. Does your adopted child readily talk about his or her adoption with you, or is he or she defensive?

5. Do you struggle with when and how to talk about adoption with your child?

6. Did you suffer infertility and/or loss before adopting?

7. Has your adoption agency provided post-adoption education resources for you?

8. How do you feel about your child's birth parents? welcoming...comfortable...irritated....resentful....jealous...competitive?

9. Have you experienced intrusive, unsettling thoughts about your child, your role as a parent, or your child's birth parents?

10. Do you know how to effectively comfort your child when he or she is sad about adoption?

11. What do you think your child would say about your success as a parent?

12. Are you afraid to share parenting struggles with those not touched by adoption because others might attribute your challenges to adoption?

13. Did you know there is a sweet spot of success for adoptive parents, where you can enjoy peace no matter the circumstances in your life?

14. Does your child's acting-out behavior trigger old behavior patterns in you?

15. Do you know what you need to provide to help your child receive your unconditional love?

16. Do you believe an adopted teen's or adult's poor choices are a reflection of poor parenting?

17. Do you need encouragement?