Several decades ago, Terilee Wunderman adopted two children. She now has 30 years experience as both an adoptive parent and psychotherapist, and she’s always willing to share words of wisdom with new or soon-to-be parents.
The first tool in your arsenal should be a sense of humor and a little advance preparation, Wunderman said. "Use humor, and have a canned reply ready for insensitive comments. … Most people don’t know anything about adoption except for what they’ve seen on TV. A lot of times, it’s an adoptive parent’s job to educate others about it," she said. [Source: Deseret News]
Support groups are important for adoptive parents, too, so they can talk with others who understand the unique challenges they face. Ultimately, the relationships within the family, between parents, children and siblings, are the highest priority. Educating the informed is good, but should not be a parent’s main focus.
Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton
