Single Parent Adoption
It is increasingly common for a single person to adopt a child on his or her own. Adoption can bring special challenges to parents. The child may be a baby just a few days old, or she could be school age. The adopted child may be of another country, race, or culture. As a result, adoptive families can easily feel different from other families. The differences are real, but the rewards of working through these issues can be great. With a better understanding of the role adoption plays in your child's growth and development, you can help your child accept his own uniqueness and learn to be proud of who he is and how he helped form your family.
Just as any child delights in the story of the day he was born, a child who is adopted will treasure details of how he came into the family. While going through the adoption process, keep a scrapbook or journal the same way an excited mother does during pregnancy. Keep track of important dates and steps in the process. Take pictures of the people and places involved in your child's earlier life. Details about your child's earlier life and the adoption process will help make both easier to understand.
Share with your child the joy you felt at bringing her home that very first day. Many families even celebrate the arrival or adoption date every year, in addition to a birthday. It shows that the child came to the family in a different way, but is just as valued and loved.
By openly and honestly discussing your child's adoption, you will be giving him the tools he'll need to answer the more difficult questions he'll encounter as he grows into adulthood.
(c) 2001 American Academy of Pediatrics
