Parents And Children

Parents and children have a natural bond, whether it's genetic or adoptive. Children carry on the legacy of his or her parent, the family's traditions, values and, in some cases, livelihood.

The relationship between an adoptive parent and adoptee is influenced by a variety of things. There's no such thing as a perfectly matched adoptive family and child. Every relationship requires work, and adoptive families are no different. At some point, an adoptee will need to learn about his or her adoption. Depending on how this is approached and subsequently handled, this can affect the way the child develops his or her identity in relation to being adopted. Using positive language to describe adoption and an open mind to the emotions an adoptee may experience is key. Sometimes, this can be difficult, especially if he or she is longing to know more about his or her pre-adoptive life, birth parents or what would have been different had he or she never been adopted. These are natural curiosities, although often misinterpreted as discontent with the adoptive family.

Another issue that parents and children in adoptive families may encounter has to do with international or transcultural adoptions. An adopted child is not biologically related to his or her adoptive parented, yet children adopted overseas may not only be culturally disparate from their adoptive parents but also be physically different from the adopters. While not every child raised by parents of a different race or culture from their own will struggle with identity, parents should be prepared to help an adoptee work through the tough questions of "Who am I?"