Preparing Children For An Adopted Sibling
Adopting a child has an effect on everyone in the adoptive family, and siblings are no exception. While getting a new brother or sister is fraught with issues for every prospective sibling, an adoptive sibling's issues will be more complex because of the intricacies of the adoption process. The best thing you can do to help prepare your children for an impending adoption is to talk about it at length, without holding back, and as soon as possible.
Important Topics
Here are some of the topics you should try to address:
*What is adoption?
*How do people adopt?
*Why are we adopting a child?
* How will the adoption change our lives?
*What will remain the same after the adoption?
*What issues will be difficult to speak about?
*Who will listen when things are tough?
*What will be hard to handle?
*What will happen if the sibling hates the new child?
Every child in a family is going to have a different view of the new child. Some children will worry that their parents love the new child and might not want to keep them—the old children—any longer. They need constant reminders that their place in the family is assured. Here are some of the ways you can help your child get used to the idea that an adopted brother or sister will soon arrive:
*Read books together on the topic of adopted families. This will help foster an atmosphere in which your child feels free to ask questions about the upcoming event. It may also help your child picture how the adoption will affect the family.
| Table of Contents |
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| 1. Adoptive Siblings |
| 2. Improving family dynamics |
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