Lifebooks

Back in October you may have remembered that I attended a lifebook event hosted by our local FRUA (Families for Russian and Ukranian Adoption) chapter. I was all ready to get Andrei's lifebook started and have it mostly done by the time we got him home. Of course that didn't happen, but my new goal is to have the first version of his lifebook done by his birthday and am going to start this weekend (Steve stop laughing).

A lifebook tells the story of your child's life and how they came to be a part of your family. It should start with their birth and contain the details of their story in an age-appropriate manner. A lifebook for a two year old will look very different than a lifebook for an older child.

A lifebook should not focus on the parent's journey through the adoption process although details should be included especially as they relate to your child. Your lifebook also does not need to be an elaborate scrapbook, remember it is a tool to tell your child their story.


Adoption Lifebook Resources:

Beth O'Malley's book LifeBooks: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child provides guidance on preparing a lifebook specifically for adopted children and you can sign up for lifebook tips via email through her website.

Scrap and Tell sells products to help with creating your lifebook including country specific items. They also have a great gallery of example layouts.

You can also buy pre-made lifebooks that let you just fill-in the blanks.