Parenting Your Adopted Child : A Positive Approach to Building a Strong Family

by Andrew Adesman, Christine Adamec, Susan Caughman

A refreshingly positive and practical approach to parenting Parents of adopted children face some unique challenges in addition to all the “regular” issues that come with being a parent. Parenting Your Adopted Child provides helpful tools that enable families to understand and counter common myths about adoption that may be harmful to their children. It also clearly demonstrates how parents can effectively tailor their parenting approach to suit their child’s distinct needs. Written by a renowned pediatrician who specializes in helping adopted children and their families, Parenting Your Adopted Child answers such common concerns

Genres: Parenting, Adoption, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published May 19, 2004

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Geared mostly towards infants and younger children, despite claiming to address adolescent adoption. Feels naive in many parts.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more a book about adoption/parenting adopted kids about adoption than about how to parent adopted kids in general. Not bad but not at all what I was looking for.

[Tawny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ryan keeps picking up all these great books from the library, but we hardly have no time to read them anymore! The library should be happy to get this one back after we've hogged it for a couple months. Favorite lines:
1. "Society often expects both more and less of adopted children. People think adopted children should be grateful for being adopted and strive to do their best because they were "chosen." But they may also think that since the children were adopted, they can't achieve much" (6).
2. "When boundaries have been broken, it's time to reestablish them. It's not mean or unloving. It's common sense" (60).
3. "Adoptive parents can and do love their children as much as biological parents. Love doesn't require a genetic link" (84).
4. "Biology is not destiny" (122).
5. "Adoption is not something adoptive parents, adopted children, or birth parents should be ashamed of or apologetic about--although sometimes society in general seems confused about this point" (137).

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book while we were completing the adoption home-study because I had some questions and concerns about what unique issues and problems an adopted child might have and what I need to do to make sure my child grows up to be a well-adjusted, confident adult. This book answered every single one of my questions. This book has great advice for all parents. If you have adopted, are thinking about adopting, or even if your child has adopted friends and you're not sure how to talk about it with them, this is an excellent book for you to check out! I checked it out from the library and then I went out and bought it so I can have it as a resource as I raise my children.