Unofficial Guide to Adoptive Parenting

Sally Donovan OBE is an award-winning writer and adoptive parent honoured for her work in the adoption field. She became a writer with Jessica Kingsley Publishers after long diversions into aerospace and horticulture. Sally was business columnist of the year in 2013/14 as judged by The British Society of Magazine Editors and the Professional Publishers Association for work with the magazine Community Care. In 2017, she was awarded an OBE. Sally is a reader, a gardener, a walker, and a committed tea drinker. She also loves music, comedy, and people being nice to each other. She is a passionate voice within the UK adoption community, and Tweets at @sallydwrites.

Award-winning columnist and adoptive parent Sally Donovan offers savvy, compassionate advice on how to be "good enough" in the face of both day-to-day and more bewildering challenges - how to respond to "red mist" meltdowns, crippling anxieties and most importantly, how to meet the intimidating challenge of being strong enough to protect and nurture your child. Full of affecting and hilarious stories drawn from life in the Donovan household, this book offers parents a refreshing counterblast to stuffy parenting manuals - read it, weep, laugh an learn.

• Introduction, 1. It's All About Us: Shaping Up to be a Therapeutic Parent, 2. Establishing the Basics, 3. This is Meant to be Fun, 4. Leisure Time, 5. Repetitive Strain, 6. The Hard Stuff, 7. Brothers and Sisters, 8. The Outside World, 9. Life Story Work, 10. Self-care, 11. Practical Techniques