Belonging in the Messy Middle

In this September episode of Calendar Conversations: A Guide for Adoptive Parents, April Dinwoodie reflects on what's surfacing for children a few weeks into the school year—feelings of belonging, othering, and the silent weight many carry. April shares why parents must do their own work around belonging, avoid the pitfall of assuming silence means "everything's fine," and lean into the messy middle of conversations about adoption, identity, and friendship. This episode sets the stage for October's theme: The Masks We Wear.