Perspectives on Challenged Family Building

Many families that adopt will instantly love their adopted child as much as they love their birth children. When I was a worker placing children, we often stated that there was a “spark” on the part of the parent. They would meet a child or see a picture of a child and just know that was [...]

Typical children are often the least involved throughout the adoption process. Few agencies provide them information about the brother or sister to come, or the changes the family may experience when adopting a child with mental health diagnoses (i.e., PTSD, Bi-Polar Disorder, AD/HD, RAD, etc.) Parents tend to focus on issues such as sharing a [...]

Derrick is now 16. His parents, Ellen and Roger, adopted their two nieces, Jill and Joyce, when Derrick was 11 years old. Jill and Joyce are now also in their teens. Joyce has integrated into the family nicely. Jill, on the other hand, has been very hurt by the trauma she endured in her birthhome. [...]