You got into this because you were passionate about loving children. But you soon found out, the journey is more difficult than you anticipated. How do you survive the first year or 2 of the adoption journey?
*Editor’s Note- This is a guest post by Anthony Zurica, who works as an adoption attorney in New York City. Since becoming a solo practitioner in 2007, he has dedicated his practice to being a strong ally and advocate for his clients. His work and knowledge of Adoption law has made him a go to resource for both clients and his peers. Mr. Zurica is an active participant in the Adoption community throughout New York. You can visit his website here or check out his Facebook page here.
There’s often an assumption that since our children are adopted, or have been adopted from the foster care system, their birth mothers must be bad people, or have done some really bad stuff. The truth is, this is an unfair assumption to make about a human being.
Due to technical difficulties we will not be posting a new podcast today. Click here to listen to recent episodes. We apologize for this inconvenience. We are pleased to share a recent post that Mike did for Disney’s Babble.com on some of the myths of foster parenting. You can follow his work with Babble by clicking here.
One of our greatest struggles as a foster and adoptive family has been the fear that the revolving door of foster care will leave our permanent children feeling unsure of who they are and their importance to us.
It’s a common question adoptive and foster parents ask. “How do I handle having a relationship with my child’s birth parent?” In-spite of the fear, confusion, and sometimes awkward situations that come from birth family relationships, we’ve discovered some practical ways to have a healthy relationship.
Adoption brings about many different emotions. This is true for children, but it is also true for parents. In the 12 years since we first adopted, we’ve experienced more emotions than I can count. From the excitement of beginning the journey, to the fear that grips you through the waiting, it’s real and, at times, all consuming. The question is, how do you overcome?
Fourteen years ago we became adoptive parents and our lives changed forever. But our story didn’t start off as perfect and beautiful as some may believe. We had some big questions, with very few answers.
This is a guest post by my friend, Beth Shelby. She is both an adoptive and biological mother. She and her husband, Aaron, live in the Indianapolis, IN area. She writes candidly about disappointment in this post. Take some time to connect with her. Follow her on Twitter or read her blog here.
