Life Book Tips

1. Tell the truth
   
2. Make reading the Life Book a ritual
   
3. Always start with the adoptee’s birth, not their arrival day
   
4. Allow your child to feel their sadness
   
5. Have the courage to write a real Life Book, from "scratch"
   
6. Really believe that any adoptee would cherish their life story, no matter how complicated
   
7. Always make copies of the Life Book
   
8. Be optimistic that the Life Book will help reduce adolescent acting out around identity issues. The more your child knows, they more s/he will feel "real."
   
9. Allow your child to keep their Life Book in their bedroom
   
10. Never give up or tell yourself that you’ll write it when you have more time. The time is now.