Scrapbook Question?

Question

I am doing a scrapbook for my sister because, she works all the time and doesn't have the time to do it so, I thought I would help her out.. She has to have it because, the Child protection people wants her to. Her and her husband are foster parents. My question is how do you start a scrapbook? On the first page should it just be the child or should it be a picture with all three of them together. I have looked at all kinds of examples but, I am having trouble getting started?

Answer 1

You can do the first page either way, you can do a picture of the child and the couple and tell how the book is a tribute of how you want them to become a family. I think I would do the child with the three of them together and let her write a tribute to the child under the picture.  The writing should come from her, she can tell the child how she adds to their life, what she means to them, why they want her in their life, and how she makes them feel and what they can offer her and how they feel about her.  This page can be a time for your sister to really dedicate the book to the little girl and for your brother-in-law too and same with the last page, what their hopes and dreams are, in becoming a family.  This is something you can't do for her, it's has to come from her, that emotion has to come from them and the worker will know the difference between someone involved with the child and someone not just by the writing and you don't want to risk that!  This is something she has to write and do on her own.

The MOST important part of any scrapbook that there's NO right or wrong way to scrapbook and then the journaling, not just what everyone was doing in the photos, but the feeling and the emotions.  If your sister needs this book for an agency, it's best that SHE and her husband do the journaling and write from THEIR HEART.  You can do the pictures and things, but if they want this child, they NEED to make time for this, if this child is important to them, they need to do this step in getting her!   If the people at Child protection have any clue that she didn't do this book, they're going to feel that if she didn't have time to make a book, how is she going to have time for the child?  I would make sure that she has some input in this book.

I am NOT trying to sound harsh but as a therapist, I know that if there's any doubt that they thought your sister didn't do this, or that they knew she worked and didn't have input in the book or any emotion in it, they're going to feel that if she couldn't take the time to do this step, and consider it important then they don't consider the child important enough and won't have time for her either.  They want more than facts and the pictures that show who, what, where, when, how, they want to see HEART, they want to see the stories of a family and only her and her husband can do that!  They want to see the love and what's bringing them together as a family.

If you're helping her, that's great, you can do the pictures and arranging them, but leave the spaces for her to write about it, to write about where they went, and what those times meant to her, about the fun they had when they were together, etc.  

For the first page, I would make it a family photo, the 3 of them together and make it a tribute to the child.  That this is how you would like them to be as a family, how the child makes them a family and what she brings to their life and home.  You can put the picture in the middle of the page and then leave enough room for her to write a paragraph under it about what this child means to her and her husband and why they want this child in their life.  

I do have to say that these workers will be able to tell if someone that hasn't been with the child wrote these or not.  I'm sure they've been through this before and if you do the journaling and not your sister and her husband, they will be able to tell and it's not going to look good for her.  It's going to make them think your sister didn't care enough to take the time out to do it.  You don't want that to happen.  Help her as much as you can with the pictures and the layouts, but have her do the writing so it comes from the HEART, and ONLY she and her husband can do that, as they are the ones that want this and if they want this, it WILL show in their writing in the journaling of the book!!  Believe me, it WILL come out in her writing.

You can do the pictures of the child and then pictures of them and then child together, and make sure that there's enough room for her to write something.  You can even cut out a pieces of paper for her to write on and put them on the page so she knows how much space to use, or just let her go on her own, she may use the whole page.  Not every page needs to have photos, you can just write on pages and not have photos on them.

It's VERY sweet of you to do this for her, and I'm sure she really wants this, but make sure that she does some of the work, I would hate to see that they hold something against her for not doing this book, and they will.  They'll feel if she doesn't have time to sit and do a book for the child, she won't have time for the child, so she has to do some parts of the book, they will be able to tell if she has, you can tell from the writing and the emotions of the writing, and I would encourage her to do that part of it.  You can still help and do the picture part of it and the layouts, there is NO right or wrong way to scrapbook, just do what you like and then she can fill in the writing!

Good luck and I wish your sister luck! I hope everything works out and that all goes well!  It sounds like it's going to be a great book!!

Answer 2

That depends on if its a family scrapbook or not.

Answer 3

Scrapbooking is more than just putting pics in an album - it's about the memories that the pictures are reflecting.  I think it's really great what you're doing.  There are many different ways you can do it - but since this is your first just keep it simple.  Maybe start the first page with a picture of the niece and some of her favorite things.  Then go in order of how things have progressed since she has come to live with your sister.  Remember to journal ( write-down) all the different places, emotions, things that happened in those pictures, and most of all have FUN !!

Answer 4

Scrapbooking is less about the pictures and how they go in as it is about the story you are telling - it's often good to go chronologically - like starting when they first got her up till now.  Another good option is to group the photos by activities they've done together - make sure that you leave space for her to write about the stories the pictures tell - that will be really special as this little girl grows older.

Answer 5

I would put the child so they new who it was and it would look good i love doing scrapbooks i do them all the time but it depends on wat u want to do scrapbooking is fun and you put your best in it!!!!  GOOD LUCK...