| If you are considering adopting a child from another | | | | becoming on the inside. |
| country, there are special considerations to accept | | | | Doing things together as a family builds trust and |
| and plan for. If you believe, as so many adoptive | | | | security. As you give of your time to each other in |
| parents do, that God has a hand in placing an | | | | exploring the delights of your child's new found family |
| adopted child with the family he's supposed to be | | | | and cultural environment, his confidence will grow. As |
| with, then choosing the right adoption agency to | | | | you provide the opportunities to make new friends |
| insure getting this placement right is one of your first | | | | with both children and adults; to learn new skills and |
| responsibilities. Your research would focus on | | | | develop special talents based on his interests; to |
| connecting with a good and knowledgeable adoption | | | | realize that making mistakes and learning from them |
| agency with conscientious and caring case workers | | | | are avenues to success, not failure; to reach beyond |
| and coordinators. | | | | self in helping others in need; then will your beloved, |
| An agency concerned for the child to be adopted, his | | | | adopted child begin to understand how important he |
| welfare and his feelings, should well understand the | | | | is and how he fits into the mainstream of life. |
| hurdles to be faced in dealing with being placed in a | | | | When your child receives this love and respect from |
| different family from a different country, with a | | | | his parents, and if he is taught to respect all |
| different language and customs. Therefore, special | | | | individuals regardless of differences, he will begin to |
| effort and care would be given to matching the child | | | | accept and respect his own differences as being a |
| with the family as closely as possible. This would be | | | | part of life. Sensitive, caring adoptive parents seeking |
| the first step in helping the adopted child to feel | | | | a child from another country would certainly make |
| accepted and in dealing with the child's self esteem. | | | | every effort to research all information possible |
| Would-be adoptive American parents of children from | | | | about that country and seek to share that |
| abroad (or from America) would do well to | | | | information with their child. Certainly they would seek |
| concentrate on helping their adopted child to | | | | out avenues for providing a connection to their |
| understand that they are wonderfully made, and that | | | | adopted child's native country and culture such as |
| regardless of race, culture or language, no matter if | | | | meeting people from that country who live in or near |
| they are different in some obvious way from their | | | | their community; reading books, listening to music, |
| new-found parents or others in the family or | | | | enjoying various foods and perhaps even |
| community, they are where they are supposed to | | | | corresponding with relatives still in that country. |
| be. Being different is what is so great about being a | | | | With all the challenges facing parents in helping their |
| human being: you are free to be all that God made | | | | adopted child (children) build and maintain a healthy |
| YOU to be - not to be like everyone else. | | | | attitude of self esteem, you would do well to take |
| The greatest gift a mother and father can give to | | | | advantage of all the research offered online, in |
| their children is to demonstrate to them their love for | | | | libraries, and with community agencies. And do not |
| each other. Your adopted child may have traveled a | | | | over look the resource of divine guidance in this |
| long way from his natural environment, but when he | | | | greatest of all life-changing venture. |
| finds himself placed in the very midst of love, he | | | | Take comfort in this fact: Love is not contingent on |
| begins to feel connected, safe and secure. Modeling | | | | biology. Love comes from that deep, committed |
| this exchange of true love is sowing the seed of | | | | desire to be a parent - to care for and nourish that |
| unconditional love that binds lives together stronger | | | | special little being that was once your "adopted child", |
| than any cultural or genetic trait can do deep within | | | | but has quickly become "your child". Language, |
| the heart of your child, and he begins to sense his | | | | culture, skin color, genetics - all of that fades into the |
| real intrinsic value as a human being.. He will begin to | | | | background and the only thing that matters is that |
| understand that his value and worth lie not in what | | | | now, finally, you are together and will forever be - |
| he is or is not on the outside, but what he is | | | | family! |