Parent And Child

The relationship between parent and child is one that is developed through a history of trust and support. It's a balance between time, emotional support, education, advice and occasional freedom. Adoptive parents are no different from biological parents in that respect. However, there may be times when an adoptive parent and adoptee cannot relate. For example, a child adoptive into a family of another racial or ethnic background may come into a social experience or identity issue that the parents cannot identify with. In these instances, the adoptive parents should make sure the adoptee has access to communities that he or she can relate to. It's also an adoptive parent's responsibility to make sure the child has a comfortable environment at home and maybe even outside of home to talk about adoption.

In terms of establishing a sense of permanency and parent-child bond with older adoptees, experts suggest that adoptive families establish traditions like celebrating the adoption day of a child, for example.

Parent and child relationships are not always as strong as sibling relationships, regardless of biological relations between the parents and children. Being a parent is about raising a child in preparation for his or her adult life. It's not always going to be an easy journey as an adoptive parent. In fact, a 2007 survey of adoptive parents, reported in Adoption USA suggested that only a small percentage of parents said they wouldn't have made the same decision to adopt if given the chance. Support groups and adoptive parent forums are great ways to find other adults who want to share and improve their experiences.