Advertisements
Advertisements
Viewing Single Post
I didn't have any children in the home and still don't. He is our first child ever, and for the most part has adjusted well. The hardest things to deal with are not taking the behaviors personally (because I do) and family visits/calls. We just had his siblings come over on Saturday for a visit with their foster mother, and it was a great visit and I loved getting to know them! However, the days following he had a lot of behavioral problems. Flashbacks and memories are common and trigger behaviors. That can be very hard to deal with, and it breaks your heart that you have to keep taking away privileges and time outs since you know pretty well what is causing the behavior issues.
It is very physically and emotionally draining, but also SO rewarding. I was so tired the first month or so. I was a brand new mama, trying to get myself, my husband and this new little guy all in a routine that helps his life become consistent and predictable. It was another person to get dressed in the morning and feed, making mornings earlier and nighttimes longer. But at the end of the day it is so very worth it, every last bit, knowing we are a little family and that he has a safe, loving home to come to every day.
Darcy, your description of that adjustment of having a new person to care for sounds a lot like having a newborn! I think that's probably something adoptive parents of kids who aren't babies should bear in mind - you expect the first months of having a newborn to be physically and emotionally demanding, and it will be the same when you adopt an older child.