What is the biggest task needed to complete by prospective adoptive families before they adopt?
The biggest task is around infertility resolution. Those who are still grieving the loss of a genetic child, don’t do well when trying to parent an adoptive child. It is crucial that adoptive parents address their grief, either through professional grief counseling or by joining an Open Path support group, and be truly ready to welcome a child into the home. (See the study and article on this topic by Ellen.) 8. What will it take for us to feel comfortable parenting or even disciplining our child in front of birth family? Developing a healthy sense of “entitlement” to parent the adoptive child is a major task for all adoptive parents where they are in an open or closed situation, or domestic or international adoption. I’m not referring to “ownership” of the child, but the entitlement that you are a real parent able to discipline appropriately in front of birth family, and able to feel comfortable as an adoptive family. Your job is to parent from the needs of the child and not vice vers
