HHS to Expand Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Older Adults and People with Disabilities fairfaxcounty.gov - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from fairfaxcounty.gov Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
(Posted 2021 May)
This past year presented so many different challenges and obstacles that tested our strength and resiliency. During this global pandemic, the major changes to the ways we live our lives have impacted our children and their relationships. For example, Parenting Education Programs’ staff has noticed that the pandemic has caused many families to experience higher levels of stress and anxiety than ever before.
May is Mental Health Month and now more than ever, we need to combat the stigma surrounding mental health concerns. It’s important to remember that working on mental health and finding tools that help each family thrive takes time. It is important to focus on small changes each day that develop into long-term ongoing strategies.
We are the Chirino-Mendez family!
We are a family of nine including our granddaughter. We adopted two of our six children back in 2009. Christion is now 20 years old and Patty is 16 years old. The experience has allowed us to not only give them the love, support, protection they deserve and need, but it has also taught us about life.
Christion and Patty came into our lives in the least expected moment, but we were so ready to fight this battle by their side. It is rare but truthfully heartwarming that we got to adopt our niece and nephew in their time of need. Their life experiences when they were so young and fragile made us question ourselves as their new parents. Anxiety set in for so long, with doubt and fear that we would fail as parents for them.