- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- iparenting adoption articles
- iparenting adoption q&a
- community & groups
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
From Our Sponsors
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Adoption After Giving Birth
What Makes Couples Decide to Adopt After Having a Baby?
By Teri Brown
The Tanowitz's initial challenge was to prepare him the same as they would if he were having a biological sibling. They made the decision to take both of the children to China with them to pick up their sister. They wanted their children to be a part of the adoption.
"But traveling through China was tough, as the 3-year-old acted out quite a bit," Tanowitz says. "He had a lot going on – on the other side of the world, in a strange place with strange food and getting a sister on top of it all. Still we feel that the traveling helped in his transition since he was part of it. He can still look at the pictures and see the videos and he's in them, not an unseen kid at home."
Though the family still has its ups and downs, Tanowitz doesn't think it is too much more than one should expect from adding to the family biologically.
"Kids learn to accept as normal whatever is in front of them, Tanowitz says. "So situations that we fret over are really accepted by them as a matter of course. Of course you go to China to pick up your sister. It just is. But it's also important not to overreact. Our son has, on occasion, wanted to send his sister back to China, which is pretty much the same as if he wanted to send her back to the hospital. But to a parent it may feel so much worse. The oldest sometimes wishes he didn't have a younger brother either. Adopted or biological, the reactions are the same."
Want to see more?
Comments
Found 1 comment
Displaying all 1 comments below
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||
Re: Adoption After Giving Birth by anonymous on 12/01/2009 08:30AM
Interesting and informative article. I am Kenyan and today (Worlds Aids Day) I read in a newspaper that Kenya has about 2.5million children orphaned by AIDS yet only 61 Kenyans & 31 foreigners have adopted children in the last year. As a Kenyan I know that adopting is almost considered taboo even when one does not have a biological child. I would certainly like to adopt a child in the near future & I know I will face a lot of objections but I know it will be worth it for both my family and our adopted child.