Explain this process with family and friends. Actually, expect them to be nervous, even scared about meeting people. Friends need to wait. Don't expect them to be excited to meet your family and friends just because your family and friends can't wait to meet them. Remember, they barely know you, and they don't know your family, or friends at all. These same trust principles apply to everyone they come into contact with. Take it slow branching out into extended family, and in slowly increasing portions. They will be searching for a new comfort zone. Theyĭon't know for sure if living with you is a permanent arrangement (even if they decide they want to). Something, anything, a drinking glass? They may worry you will you get mad, beat them, or even send them back to where they came from. They don't know how you will respond if they mess up? The have worries like what happens if they break They have no idea what to expect from you. They have been plucked out of theirĮnvironment, their comfort zone, thrown into a whole new world, where they don't know anyone, and they can't understand what anyone is saying. Newly adopted child doesn't really know you (or you them). How hard it would be without those common denominators. Same language, to develop unconditional love and trust? Try to imagine How long does it take for ordinary people, from the same culture, speaking the Likely the biggest challenge is developing an understanding of unconditional love and creating trust. Learn a new language, adapt to a new culture, much less to change what theyīelieve about things, lots of things, almost everything. And the moreĮntrenched they are in these things, the more difficult it becomes for them to The older a child becomes, the more entrenched theyĪre in their native language, culture, beliefs, and so on. However, as theĪdoptee matures to young child and to teenager, the difficulty in adapting Infants and toddlers (special needs aside) obviously present The age of adoptees plays a major role in this challenge. Is, post adoption adaptation is harder than you could possibly imagine. Not perfect and thankfully God doesn't expect me to be. Maybe they want you toīelieve, like everything else about them, that they are perfect. I don't know why they are lying but they are. If anyone tells you different theyĪre lying. Bringing an adoptive child from an impoverishedĬountry like Haiti into your American home life is not easy. For 27 months my eyes were clearly focused on the trees on the horizon.Īnd, not until the day when I finally reached the trees, did I realize there You are knee deep in one battle, you don't think about challenges that layĪhead. The journey didn't end when the girls finally came home. If I didn't share a little bit about what to expect starting The Day After. So don't even think about giving up hope. And we know, with God nothing is impossible. Wonderful family, the Ledford's who are in the process of adopting my Jesula'sĬousin from Haiti, a special girl named Christella. Sweet sister (sort of, by marriage, okay it's what I call her) Gina who is in the process of adopting a special girl named Benia from Haiti. Like Haiti with tedious adoption processes. Offer this as encouragement for anyone adopting internationally, from countries Then, just as unexpectedly as God laid it on my heart to adopt, He opened up I worried that perhaps myĪdoption case would be one of those worst-case scenarios you only read about. I feared my girls simply would never come home. Months the struggles had become so difficult that I began to think it would not Government, my government, were beyond comprehension. After 2 years and 3 Issues and delays that arose in the final months with the United States The Haitian Government were difficult enough to handle. The constant issues and delays during the first two years with The oneĬonstant in my prayers throughout the entire process was always centered on anĮnd result of flying out of Haiti with two adopted daughters and getting them Victories and stumbling blocks, from beginning to end, along the way. I blogged every detail, good days and bad, This blog gravitated around our long and tedious adoption process of twoīeautiful girls from Haiti. For that, I apologize or accept your thanks, whichever is moreĪppropriate for you.
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