Gladney Blog

This past week my daughter was playing in the backyard when she suddenly ran inside yelling “Daddy, there’s things flying everywhere in the air!”  When he went to look, he found a giant swarm of bees and quickly ushered her and our Golden Retriever inside. After a little investigation, we found there was a large beehive in our neighbor’s tree. For all the obvious reasons I was worried for our safety—we’re not sure if our girls are allergic to bees yet—but I was also disappointed.  Like many homes with small children, things can get loud, chaotic, and overwhelming.  Our backyard has become a sanctuary while we’ve been sheltering in place and now this bee Armageddon was taking that away. 

What a whirlwind of a week! Last Friday seems like a lifetime ago—so much has changed, and the amount of uncertainty and uneasiness is amplified times a thousand.  On Monday, Gladney made the decision to close its campus to outside visitors for the immediate future due to the COVID-19 virus.  Outside events on our campus were cancelled or postponed, and only essential personnel or vendors are currently allowed on campus to ensure the safety of our community.  If able, employees are to work from home.  Our CEO, Mark Melson, shared a video encouraging us that although things will look very different for the time being, business as usual will try to continue as much as possible.

Yesterday, Gladney University participants had the pleasure of hearing from Lauren Labeth, LCSW, about Theraplay® and how she uses this in her practice with families.  Lauren gave a quick overview of Theraplay® and why this mode of treatment is beneficial for all families looking to build a deeper connection with their children.  Along with building a connection with others, we learned that play is used to promote the creation of new neural connections, learn social skills, and test situations in a safe environment.  For children that have experienced trauma or diagnosed with a developmental delay, play is crucial for  brain development and relationship building. 

When people talk about adoption, there are always a LOT of questions.  It’s a subject that can be polarizing, mysterious, and sprinkled with both joy and grief.  There are certain times when questions are welcomed, but there are definitely times when questions are inappropriate and can be damaging.  Adoptive parents are not expected to educate the public about all things adoption---especially while they’re grocery shopping with their children at Target.