Barton,
I've been here about 2.5 years now. When I brought my children home in November of 2004 and started having real issues, I didn't feel great about posting them. Most of the others had this wonderful, Pollyanna like story to tell, and ours...well it wasn't.
But, I started posting some of our issues and low and behold, others came out of the woodwork too!
I noticed that a lot of members check out after they bring their children home. I had gained some very important information from this site and made a promise to myself that I would stay on and be available for post-adoption support (so I'm here whether you want me or not!
). I think that today you get the real story on this forum and that is important.
To answer Karen's posted question, I really think I was prepared for attachment issues. I found books recommended on this very site that I read and I spoke with our IA doctor who sent more literature. I found other websites with great articles. I did due diligence on attachment parenting. Not because anyone told me too, but because I got lucky and found out it while researching adopting a
toddler. A lot of what I read was aimed at the foster system since those children are often older.
Now, if we had only gone in for an infant, I am sure that I would not have had any of that information. And that would have been tragic! I wish my agency recommended some of this reading to their clients. My social worker feels that "we worry too much about attachment issues". So she was no help.
Today we're in a good place with attachment. We've got other stuff we're working on, but attachment seems to be moving along well (fingers crossed). Where would we be if we did not attachment parent? Did we just get lucky or did our techniques and hard work pay off? We'll never really know, will we? But I am so glad I did it and plan on doing it again. It can't hurt, right?
Christina