Date Night

Joe and I were able to go out last night for the first time in awhile. We decided to combine a relaxing meal with the questions we had to answer for the home study. Jake went to grandmas house with his little bag packed and stayed the night. When we got to my moms he asked, are you leaving yet? He was so excited to have grandmas full attention without mom interrupting...it's great having family around! We went to one of my favorite restaurants, Cedar Creek. It was fun going over the questions and hearing how each of us responded. It was really encouraging because we both were on the same page. It was also funny because our answers were the same but in totally different styles. My answers were long and detailed thoroughly explaining my points. Joe's were short, direct and to the point. For example, the question:

What forms of discipline do you plan to utilize with the child you adopt?

Joe's answer: time-outs, spankings, and loss of privileges, but all with lots of communication.

My answer: we currently use time outs and sometimes spankings with our 3 year old son. Our son is very strong and likes to test the boundaries. I know that every child is different and discipline goes along with their developmental stage. I feel a good parent is one that gets behind the eyes of the child and reads the difference of straight defiance or of a child acting out because they cannot communicate their feelings. We want to teach our children to communicate frustration or anger but to also know that they cannot get away with bad behavior towards us, themselves or others. It is hard to know what to expect with an adopted child...the age, if they have developmental delays, their history, personality...our discipline would be tailored to him/her and their needs.

I thought it was funny. The difference of a man and woman.

It is always nice to get out and have a focused 1 on 1 conversation. You are able to reconnect and talk about things you just don't normally get to in the hustle and bustle of the routine. We then went to a movie...21 which was entertaining.