Rockin' Mama Challenge

I have posted before about the challenges in bonding with a child adopted at an older age. Bonding can happen, but it takes a lot of prayer, work, and time. I have come to realize that there is no way it will happen on its own. I love "M" dearly, but I still feel we have a ways to go with bonding and attachment. I know that I don't feel the same towards her as I do my other three. Two which I gave birth to and one that joined our family at 7 months through adoption. So I have been reading, trying to find a way to help the bonding a long. Anyway for a bit over a week now, I have been in the Rockin' Mama Challenge. That may sound a little weird to some, but let me explain. I have been reading a blog called A Bushel and a Peck. They have adopted a few of their children at an older age and from hard places. Different circumstances but much like "M". Anyway, the blog is very encouraging and recently Lisa shared with her readers the "Rockin Mama Challenge". Basically we are committing to rocking in a chair with our child for 15 minutes a day. "M" and I have established after lunch, during quiet reading time on school days to be our rocking time or as we call it snuggle time. Fifteen minutes is not easy. Usually during that time I finished the older two's school, cleaned up anything left over from lunch and caught up on computer stuff. Fifteen minutes of that time isn't easy to give up. And to be quite honest I wasn't sure if it would make a difference anyway. But let me tell you it has. For fifteen minutes we go up to the loft, we sit in a glider, no phone, no one else, just the two of us. We have a blanket to snuggle with and just rock (actually glide), we talk some, she likes me to tell her stories and we just spend time with each other. The first day, I would say was a bit awkward, but she loved it because she was asking about it the next day. So we decided to make a certain time for it. Otherwise I was afraid #1 it wouldn't happen if it wasn't scheduled and #2 I would get aggravated with her for asking all the time and that would defeat the purpose. By the second day she wasn't so stiff and the third she was totally relaxed. Anyway, if you happen to be working on attachment and bonding with one or more of your children or know anyone who is, the challenge in on my side bar or just click on the link I posted earlier. I do see a big difference in how I feel about her. I need time with her, to where she isn't fighting to be closer to me than Drew, or I am correcting her or trying to teach her something.