Great adjustments are required when adopting. This is especially true when adopting older children internationally. Because of the language barrier, the culture change, and a lack of understanding of the American lifestyle, these children will have the curiosity of a toddler, yet the abilities of a child their ages. This means that your home will probably not be child-proof for these children! It will be a process as you and your child or children learn together. The advice of these panelists is to pack up those things that are of value and to be patient as your newly adopted children learn with you. There is a “new level of chaos and potential for stitches regularly” in the international adoption experience. Our panelists remind us that the process means that eventually your pre-adoption “normal” will become the normal again in your home!
