By: Deirdre Littlefield The sun is finally out and summer is on its way. Our schedule is beginning to clear of all the activities that enrich their daily lives—from soccer, to hockey, to music, to lacrosse. I love to watch my sons socialize and learn how their bodies work and to see which talents come … More Happy Summer!
By: Deirdre Littlefield It was a beautiful October afternoon that we had spent at the local playground with my five-year-old son and his buddies. My DCF worker called and asked if I could take a one-week old baby within the hour. He was born with drugs in his system, six weeks premature at just … More The Day We Were Matched
By: Deirdre Littlefield Youth sports have taken over suburbia in the last decade or so. Our kids expect to play every sport, every season, because everybody is. Sports don’t even seem to have a season anymore. Spring soccer starts in the winter, fall soccer now begins before Labor Day and hockey doesn’t have a … More Youth Sports vs My Family Values
By: Deirdre Littlefield I have wanted to adopt a child from foster care since I was a little girl. Ever since I saw the movie Annie, I was hooked on the idea. I wondered how it was possible that there are children that nobody wants. Children without a family. It took many years for … More The Evolution of a Foster Parent
By: Deidre Littlefield My oldest son is twenty-three. I have the fondest memories of sitting in the sandbox with him for hours. We would build and laugh while looking into each other’s eyes. As he grew, we threw the baseball and rode bikes together. We were not once interrupted by a phone call, email or … More Our Children Need Connection
We’re excited to share that the Signature Moms blog has reached a major milestone: 500,000 views! Congratulations to all of our Signature Mom bloggers! And a heartfelt thank you to all of you, our readers. Since our first mom written post in March 2011, it’s been an amazing experience getting to know all of our many … More Signature Milestone: 500,000 Views and Counting!
By: Deirdre Littlefield People are always intrigued when they find out that we bring foster children into our home. Most are polite, but you can often sense something else. Friends and strangers ask a range of questions. They wonder about the children’s behavior, where they came from and how we can let them go. Amazingly … More What Fostering Has Taught My Children
By: Deirdre Littlefield We need to bring humility back to our children. We have been taught to praise everything they do to raise their self-esteem. We have told them how great they are for everyday tasks and have rewarded them in every area from academics to sports to citizenship. We, as a society, have … More A Touch Of Humility
By: Deirdre Littlefield Let me begin by saying I believe in education. My oldest son recently graduated college and was fortunate enough to have a job in his field waiting for him. My youngest son just turned four; he has two years until kindergarten. Everywhere we go, people ask where he goes to school. People … More I Just Want To Go To Playground School, Mom
By: Deirdre Littlefield This is what we call the hotline room in our house. It is a simple space that we created to welcome children when they are pulled unexpectedly into foster care. This room has grown into so much more. It has been a classroom for homework, it has been a prayer space, a … More The Small Room That Gives Big Love
Community Voices for Health 