For a little over two years I worked
as an adoption prep worker, which means I prepared children for adoption,
selected homes for children waiting for adoption, monitored adoptive
placements, and really had to get to know my children so that I could find appropriate
homes for them. This work for me was very stressful because families can often
look like a good fit and then for some reason the placement disrupts or breaks
down. From my experience an adoptive placement disruption is harder on children
than initial removal from their families of origin as their birth families
rarely gave them up of their own free will. All together I worked in the child
welfare arena for 5 plus years, I initially worked with family facing permanent
removal of their children from their homes.
I learned many things during this
time about all sorts of subjects including basic human nature. One of the
things I never really got over was how seemingly easy it was for potential
adoptive families to give up on children they wanted to make a part of their
family initially. So here are some tips for those considering adopting
especially those considering children that have been in foster care for several
years.
- Don't get so caught up on diagnoses. Ask about the child's behavior from the caseworker
and foster parents. Diagnoses are good information but don't automatically
disqualify children from your search just because of a certain
"unfixable" diagnosis.
- Whatever your ideal picture of the child/family after adoption
is, let it go. The child will not meet these
expectations, even if you have had children before you have not had a
child with this child's story. Accept the child for exactly who they are
and they will eventually do the same.
- Don't give up too easily. Try everything you can when things get difficult with
your new child. Try radical things even, try everything. If you give up
after a few hard times the child will feel they were right to have
reservations and will be that much more resistant to ever trying again.
- Think about your birth children and their reactions to
the new child. This sounds simple but you
would be surprised at how many families fail to think of how they would
handle this situation. You have a stronger bond with the children you have
had longer, naturally, and if the "new" child causes them some
sort of distress your natural instinct may be to protect your birth child
from the adoptive child.
- Believe the history of a child. If you are made aware that a child has sexualized
behavior due to their past and you are told what this looks like, don't be
surprised if you see this same behavior. Again it sounds simple but you
would be surprised at what it feels like to see this in your home with
people you know.
- Be prepared to grow and change. Just like having a child naturally you will learn new
things, be tested, and have to change. You need to be prepared for this
even though you can't completely prepare for every eventuality.
- Remember the child is not a pair of jeans. You should enter into this with a no return policy.
Just like the way marriage used to be. Think of the commitment from day
one, for better or worse. Can you handle the worst of what the child has
displayed in the past? If not this is not the child for you.
- Expect the worst.
Children/teens, often subconsciously, will push you away and resist
bonding with you. Allow them this room, give them space, but also make
yourself available.
- Celebrate the small accomplishments. Did they come home and tell you about their day? Did
they not curse you out today? Did they initiate healthy physical touch
with you? Hooray!
- Involve the child's birth family from month 1 or 2. If the child is allowed contact with their birth
family, don't fear this. Encourage this, be a part of it, discuss it in
therapy, have some therapeutic phone calls with the therapist as well. You don’t want to be seen as a boundary
to their past/ family.
- Attend therapy.
As a family, a couple, and maybe individually. You are undergoing a MAJOR
change and feelings you hadn't expected are surfacing, don't be afraid to
address them.
- Take time for yourself (selves). This is vital maintain your independence and
romance. You don't want to get to a place where you blame the child for a
change in your freedom/ coupledom.
- Throw out the time table. Some families are perfectly bonded and adjusted in six
months; some don't reach that point until after the adoption is finalized.
What's really important is getting to that place that is right for your
family.
These are just a few tips that came
to mind when I considered this topic. I hope that they can help those thinking
of adopting, awaiting a placement, or adjusting as a family. Adopting a child
is such a noble and amazing thing to do and it is one of the hardest things I
think as well.