How to Make a Scrapbook for Your Difficult Child Part 1

Do you have a child, foster child, or grandchild that is difficult to parent?

Welcome to the club of Extreme Parents(!) where superheroes are REAL (that would be you, and members of your child's treatment team), capes totally optional (or not), and time moves both slow ("Isn't it her bedtime yet?!") and fast ("Where did my alone time go?!").

But before you know it, your Lil Firecracker will be grown, and their childhood a blurry, faded memory.

There are some things you will be glad to leave in the blurry, faded past, such as temper tantrums, IEP meetings, and coordinating and chauffeuring Lil Firecracker to multiple medical/therapy appointments each week.

But I don't want you to leave behind the GOOD memories.  Yes, there are many good memories, and I'm here to help you remember and preserve them.

Friends, I'm talking about scrapbooking.

Please don't gag.  Or roll your eyes.

The scrapbook craze that dominated the early part of this century fizzled out to a glowing ember, but a well-put-together scrapbook has so many benefits--therapeutic benefits--for not only Lil Firecracker, but for YOU as well.

Here are a few ways in which a scrapbook may benefit your child:

1.  Improved relationship between you and your child.  WOW!  Yes, it CAN happen!
2.  Greater sense of continuity and belonging.
3.  Increased sense of self, which assists with self-esteem issues (children learn to esteem themselves by mirroring the opinions that primary caregivers have of them).
4.  Feelings of family pride, even in foster families.
5.  Can help to heal past hurts within their family story.
6.  When a child or teen helps create, maintain (keeps adding to the book),  and then looks through the scrapbook over and over with you, it can provide you and your child with more quiet, crafty activities and bonding experiences.
7.  Preserving and reliving memories can make NEW memories too.  Whatadeal!

With all these benefits, I'm sure you're ready to get started right now!

OK, we'll wait until you've had your coffee.

Part 2 will explain how putting together your child's scrapbook can help YOU.

Part 3 will explain how to actually create a scrapbook.   FAST.

Don't worry!  You don't have to be artsy or crafty to do this.  You don't have to sacrifice all your free time either.  I'll walk you through each step.   You won't regret the time and effort you invest in this very important and worthwhile project.