Sunday, January 21, 2007

Lifebook

Please pardon my ignorance. I've been reading a lot about creating a Lifebook for the baby but for the life of me can't quite figure out how to start or continue it. I need help! Can anybody give me any tips or suggestions as to how to go about it? I would really like to get one started for the baby.

How do you start?
What sort of things should go in there?
Is it like a baby book? (the kind you can buy at the bookstorevand fill out afterwards)
Is it more like a scrapbook with entries?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

A lifebook is the story of your childs adoption. It is very hard to do this before the adoption is complete. Generally it's a tool to help your child learn and understand their adoption.

Hope that helps,

Julie

Anonymous said...

I have this great book about how to write a lifebook that I will gladly copy for you. I have sent it to others. email me offlist with your address. I am happy to send it. It was very helpful for us.

Anonymous said...

If you're ignorant, then I am too, because I've been wondering about one too! Thanks for the questions. I'll be stalking your comments to find out.....:-)

Tracey and Mike said...

The SW who presented the IA seminar we attended said that your child's lifebook should be about as much of your child's life as you can put together before he/she came into your family (it shouldn't be about your adoption journey, that can be a different book, which I'm sure our kids will treasure too). Julie's right, it's hard to do much before you get your referral because it should contain information about where they are from, their finding ad, info about their SWI, anything you can find. In the mean time though you could do some general background on China (maps, basic cultural stuff etc). Of course I've got all of this well underway myself - not! It's on my never ending to-do-list!

Jill and Jaap said...

I am also including pictures that I put together for the Homestudy (I had photocopied them). I am putting events that I have gone to (agency's picnic/xmas party) ...things like that.

4D said...

There is a great book called "Lifebooks-Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child". It is great and makes it so easy to create on.

The author has a site: http://www.adoptionlifebooks.com/

She has a newsletter and there are Yahoo groups for lifebooks. I am prepping mine but can not do much until we have the referral.

A lifebook gives your child a history and a story of their own. A very important tool.

I bought a simple scrapbook but it is not a "scrapbooky" type of book. I am copying the book and can send you a copy. Email me and I will send you one. Unless Nic is sending you the same book!

Keep smilin!

Anonymous said...

My husband and I are required to take a lifebook making class by our agency. I'll keep you posted on what we need to do. From what others have said - it sounds right on target from what we have been told.

Anonymous said...

That is something that I had better start at least thinking about! A Lifebook making class sounds great. I'll have to ask our agency about that one.