Navigating Relationships
Contact with Birth Families
Experts advise that biological and adoptive parents must remember that open adoption is about meeting the needs of children, not adults. While openness does not simply wipe away the feelings of grief, fear, or insecurity that can swirl around an adoptive placement, maintaining biological connections are a proven long term benefit of the child.
Maintaining Siblings Relationships
Professional literature repeatedly affirms the importance of the sibling bond. It is the longest lasting relationship most people ever have. Brothers and sisters share common experiences and history.
Managing Visits with Family
Visits are not always easy for children, their birth parents or their foster or adoptive parents but they are essential to build relationships and heal past traumas. While all parents may be overwhelmed by their mixed feelings of pleasure, awkwardness, anger and defensiveness as well as extreme sadness, visits aren’t about what the adults need or what. Visits are for the children’s needs.
Parenting Children with Incarcerated Parents
The disruption of family relationships when parents are incarcerated can have a serious impact on children and youth, with consequences sometimes including temporary or permanent removal from the home. People can make bad choices and still love their children. Often children still love their parents despite the poor choices made.
Adoption Searches and Reunions
We now know that it is natural and very common for an adoptee or youth in foster care to want to know more about their personal history and original family. Nowadays, with commercial DNA testing, social media and New York about to restore the adult adoptees access,to their original birth certificates, practical searching advice and emotional reunion preparation is key.