How do I explain adoption to my child?

If you have children who are adopted or you are planning to adopt a child, you likely feel some stress about how you will explain this to your children one day. Telling children that they were adopted is never easy. You don’t know how they will react. It’s also difficult to tell your children that you plan to adopt a child who will become their sibling. Here are some tips for talking to children about adoption.

Depending on the age of your child, you might want to tailor the conversation accordingly. Some young children, up to the age of five, might have a very difficult time understanding the topic of adoption. You need to explain to the child that he or she was born just like every other child, that you wanted to become a parent and that you will be their parent for life.

If your child is between the ages of 6 and 11 you can have a little bit different conversation. Your child will likely ask much more difficult questions, such as why couldn’t their birth mother afford to have a child and so on. They might also ask about their birth mother not getting married if she couldn’t raise a child on her own. These are questions you may not have concrete answers to but can still discuss with your child.

Make sure that you are open and honest with your children about adoption. Answer all of their questions, If you don’t have an answer, tell them you will try to find an answer for them.

Discussing adoption with your children can be a very touchy situation. If you follow the tips outlined in this post you should be able to make the discussion less stressful for everyone.

Source: Nov. 30, -0001