Older Child Adoption
Today begins National Adoption Month.Â
I’ve always been interested in adopting an older child. I came across this article today, and it just reminded me of that interest. Why does it have to cost so much to adopt!? Grrr.
JinJin Joseph Levy and MeiMei Julia Levy leap off the school bus every afternoon, laughing and talking loudly. Competing with each other for my attention, they tell me about their exciting day in kindergarten. They speak of friends, new songs learned, and their adored teacher, Miss Ferries. Their words spill out in a mixture of English and Mandarin Chinese, for these two children have only recently joined our family.
My husband, Mark, and I adopted JinJin and MeiMei when they were five years old. What is it like to adopt an older child? What are the risks, and what are the rewards? Although we knew there could be concerns–difficulties in attachment, delayed development, and other psychological issues–for us it has been simply a delight.
His most poignant reminiscences are about this little sibling, whose name he can no longer recall. “Remember?” JinJin asks me. “Remember how he would laugh when I made faces?” My new son smiles, his eyes staring at unseen memories. “He had two new teeth, right here in the front of his little mouth.” He touches his own mouth. “And two on the bottom.”
Gently, so as not to destroy the moment, I kneel down beside him. JinJin turns his sweet brown eyes to mine. “I miss him, I miss him, mom.”
http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/adoption/older-child.html
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Hi Jonathan, we have 3 children all adopted from VN. I’ve been reading your blog for a while, enjoying your enthusiasm for VN, adoption, and your adorable little guy! We also adopted our latest from VORF and the RCO (he was 2yrs. at time of adoption). We are strong believers in older child adoption. Our first (and 2nd) was a sibling group ages 5yrs. and 1 yr. I am hoping to adopt again, another 5 y/o +/-. Thank you for the plug for older child adoption…take care, jody
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What a bittersweet story. JinJin brought tears to my eyes. Yes, it’s incredibly sad that many good families who might adopt may be financially unable to afford adoption. However, if the cost is associated with screening potential parents and ensuring that the adopted child is placed in good, loving and safe homes, isn’t the cost somewhat worth it?
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