|
What a great thread. I adopted my son who came to us as a foster child at 11 months. He's now three.
I completely agree with Jenn. Also read her blog about her boys and their journey. It is wonderful and very informative for those of us on this journey. You can find the link to her blog on her public profile. I hope you don't mind, Jenn, but your blog was a real inspiration to me on a day when I needed it.
Two things that I find helpful on this journey: (1) Friends who have had similar experiences. These forums are great - and it helps to have a local, personal connection too - like your parents I am sure will be for you. I am very lucky that there are three families at my church who do foster care and eight families who have adopted, some through foster care, some domestic private and some international. There is one boy at church who is one year older than my son who was also placed in forster care as a baby. His mom and I make a point of doing things together so that our boys will have someone else in their lilves with a similr background - hopefully it will help them feel less "different" than other kids. But even if they do feel different, maybe they can be different together. (2) We read books about adoption and books about different kinds of families. There are several for toddlers - I love Todd Parr's "The Family Book" and "The Adoption Book" wonderfully colorful books that celebrate the many ways to be a family.
Sounds like your parents will be a wonderful support. Good luck on your journey.
|