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Originally Posted by jaenelle
Wow -- that all sounds pretty horrible. I thought the original poster wanted to know about positive experiences -- or are those about the most positive things you can expect?
Does *anyone* have a good story to tell?
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we adopted a 5 yo a little over a year ago. He is adjusting very well. Before we adopted him, he had lived with distant relatives that he thought was his mom and dad for 3 years, before that he had pretty much been neglected. When he first came we were warned that he wandered the house at night, had bipolar, attachment disorders, etc..Thankfully, as soon as we took him off his bipolar medication, he hasn't had any night terrors, he sleeps all night, doesn't wet the bed any more. Basically he is a normal 6 yo. He does seem to have minor issues with attachment and gets hyper occassionally. When he first came to live with us, anytime i had to leave, he would go beserk but after a few months, he realized that i always came back. Now the only issues, i really see is that he could possibly have ADHD and then again it could be related to his early infancy neglect. When i discipline him, he will ask "do you like me anymore?" of which once i reassure him that i will always love him, i just didn't like his behavior, he's fine. I'm trying to be honest and not gloss it over but i also don't won't you thinking that he has all this problems because i actually think it is sooo much better than i expected. I think each child will be different. My experiences is that MY child needs a little more reassurance that he is loved no matter what he may/may not do but other than that he has adjusted and seems to blend in with the family very well. Oh and i almost forgot, we did learn that he may suffer from FAS due to the bmother drinking/drugs during the pregnancy but that too can be overcome/dealt with. He is extremely bright, it just takes him a bit longer to remember his alphabet and numbers. He taught himself, with very little help from us, how to ride a bike, swim, etc... it about one day. I think alot of older children that have dealt with neglect kick into survival mode. They have basically had to fend for themselves and it takes a little while for them to realize that you want to do things for him. I was told when he was 2 if he was hungry he would go to the fridge and make his own sandwich, etc.