Connecthrulove

02/18/2026

So excited to post this info about a new program for caretakers and their toddlers at the Flourish Community Hub. We, the former Institute for Community and Family Resilience, were able to help fund this program that speaks to community helping families build resiluence which was the mission of our organization.

NEW HUB PROGRAM ALERT!!!

✨ Together Time – Weekly Parent & Toddler Play Group (Ages 2–3) ✨

Looking for a fun, free way to connect with your toddler and meet other parents in the community?
Together Time is a FREE weekly play group designed for toddlers and their caregivers to build community and connect through play.

🧸 What to expect:
✔ Guided play
✔ Sensory-based activities
✔ Social interaction for toddlers
✔ Encouragement and support for parents

👶 Who it’s for:
Children ages 2–3 and their parents or caregivers

📍 Where:
Flourish Community Hub
3935 Cleveland St., Gary, IN

🕙 When:
Wednesdays at 10:00 AM
Starting February 25, 2026

💚 Come play, connect, and grow together at the Flourish Community Hub!

Click the link below to register for each week.

https://m.signupgenius.com/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQDHQlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEerDur3uMl0Xkk9Nyd3Lm-XLMBW0katn0EyJLrZyqAvpsFkzTeHLxtP-G_YyM_aem_3cx-qZ5Nc8A2zhjZRm7aGA #!/showSignUp/10C0449AEAB2DA6F9C52-62106326-weekly

02/09/2026

Check out the latest stories on Stories from the Adoption Circle: The Blog at https:theadoptioncircle.org

To share your story as an adoptee, a birth parent, an adoptive parent, a sibling, a relative, a godparent, or a "connected other": CASA, connected professional, etc. go to the top of the page of The Blog and click on Submit Your Story.

02/02/2026

Check out the latest blog post of Stories from the Adoption Circle by an adoptee on: theadoptioncircle.org

01/31/2026

As teachers, administrators, and other school staff you may see challenging behaviors in the school setting. What is seen on the surface just might reflect what is underneath, i.e. what is unseen that may be driving behavior.

01/30/2026

In an article in Psychology Today, Jeanette Yoffe, author of "What's Your Name and Who's Your Daddy," Jeanette Yoffe poses the very question that many adoptive parents have asked themselves only after the fact. When instead it should have been an up front, prior to "signing up" for adoptive parenthood. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-inner-life-of-foster-care/202511/is-adoption-for-you
The 10 questions for prospective adoptive parents: 1. Can you handle the truth about trauma? 2. Are you adopting to heal yourself or help a child heal? 3. Can you embrace a child's story and not erase it? 4. Are you comfortable with the unknown? 5. Can you handle rejection, without personalizing it? 6. Will you keep the adoption conversation open? Can you manage your expectations about gratitude? 8. Are you ready to partner with birth family or community when possible? 9. Are upi ready to face several biases and cultural differences? 10. Can you commit to lifelong learning?

01/24/2026

Is Adoption for You?
Jeanette Yoffe is a well-known psychotherapist specializing in foster care and adoption. Jeanette wrote a piece in our "Stories from the Adoption Circle" entitled, "I Imagined I did a Ted Talk: A Letter to My Birth Father". Jeanette writes a column in Psychology Today on important issues in foster care and adoption. In her November column in Psychology Today, she wrote 10 questions for those considering adoption and it begins with "Can you handle the truth about trauma?" and ends with"Can you Commit to lifelong learning".
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-inner-life-of-foster-care/202511/is-adoption-for-you This is an important read for those considering adoption and also important insights insights/reflections if you are, already an adoptive parent.

Before you adopt, ask yourself these 10 essential questions. Adoption is not about saving a child, it’s about joining their story with humility, curiosity, and love.

01/20/2026

Stories from the Adoption Circle: The Blog. The call out continues for stories, poetry and even artistic renderings from those whose lives have been forever changed by the adoption experience.. The Blog is a continuation of the sharing of stories like those told in the ebook: Stories from the Adoption Circle: Remembrances and Perspectives: Adoptive Parent, Birth Parent, Adoptee, Extended Family, and Professional.

If you have a story you would like to share, send it to connethrulove@gmail.com And it is your choice of whether to use your name, a pseudonym or anonymous. If you have any questions, or concerns please email.

01/11/2026

I have been reminded recently about how difficult it is to not only parent children who come from the hard places of trauma but to be the front line workers, who everyday interact with these children and parents. And this is everyone, e.g. teachers, mentors, therapists, case managers, tutors, probation officers, who are drawn, wanting to make a difference, to do this painful, often frustrating and emotionally draining work. No, you are NOT to blame for the outrageous, often disrespectful, and sometimes physically dangerous behaviors of the children and adolescents. But if we keep doing the same thing, (the lecturing, the withdrawing of positive interactions, the veiled threats of ending up in juvenile detention, hospitalization or day treatment if these behaviors continue) then we, as well as parents, will keep getting the same results. And NO, no one deserves to be disrespected by those you are trying so desperately to help. We want to change the inappropriate, sometimes even dangerous behaviors (for the child’s/teens own good), we want compliance. We know it’s a hard world out there but their boss is not going to care that they have been traumatized. The boss won’t care that a young man struggles with authority figures because if he can’t control his environment and others, he feels out of control. And that he doesn’t trust anyone, but himself, to keep him safe, because he’s been disappointed, he’s been betrayed by those charged with caring for him. And this is particularly true if the trauma occurred in the first 5 years of his life and he’s now 20 or 30. It’s a struggle...always. And one does does not heal from complex trauma in a linear way. So how do we help in constructive, non enabling ways? We don’t take it personally; it isn’t about us, it’s about the child/adolescent. We need to step back and stay in relationship with that child, no matter how difficult he is being; not to judge, not to impose our fears for the future, and not to give up because we just will NOT tolerate the intolerable behaviors. We need to stay connected. Again, try to remember being there and staying there with that very unlikeable/unloveable (at that point in time) is what truly will make the difference. Connecthrulove

01/10/2026

Check out the new blog which is an extension of the eBook, Stories from the Adoption Circle. Send in your story, or poem, or artistc rendering following the direction at Share Your Story located at the top of The Blog page: theadoptioncircle.org

01/04/2026

This is SO important to grasp the meaning of the long term effects of trauma on the brain, and remembering that behavior is governed by the brain.

Children don't "bounce back" from trauma. They bury it and buried trauma doesn't vanish it leaks out later as anxiety, rage, shame, addiction, and self-destruction. So no, kids aren't resilient. They're hurting.

Credit - Childhood Trauma Disorders (Understanding, Coping, Healing)

12/25/2025

This really enlightening article by Jeanette Yoffe looks at a significant issue for children in care without connection to bio family, of: Who am I? Who do I look like? Where do these large hands and feet come from because I’m not tall? Where did I get this curly hair? Why are my eyes hazel colored? And so many other questions often unasked out loud.

Genetic mirroring gives adoptees and foster youth reflections of self. Without it, identity feels like a blank mirror, fueling confusion, loss, and a lifelong search for belonging.