Raising Adopted Children, Revised Edition: Practical Reassuring Advice for Every Adoptive Parent

by Lois Ruskai Melina

Book Overview

In this completely revised and updated edition of Raising Adopted Children, Lois Melina, editor of Adopted Child newsletter and the mother of two children by adoption, draws on the latest research in psychology, sociology, and medicine to guide parents through all stages of their child's development. Melina addresses the pressing adoption issues of today, such as open adoption, international adoption, and transracial adoption, and answers parents'...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060957174
• ISBN13: 9780060957179
• Release Date: July 1998
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.3" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 15 years and under
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 10

Customer Reviews

Helpful

My husband and I found this book invaluable in raising our son. There is so much information that you need to know: from dealing with varied emotions to working with your child's teachers and peers and helping them relate to the world. Should definitely be a required book for all parents of adopted children.

The Best Gift Anyone Considering Adoption Can Give Themself!

This is the first book on adoption I read, as we prepared for our adoption classes, and it will be kept in our home as a reference for many years to come. This book effectively explains adoption terms, conditions, and issues in an easy to understand and non-condescending way. It helped my husband to understand some mixed feelings I had about adoption as opposed to conception. It addresses attachment, authority, and smooth transition. My only complaint is I wish it had focused more on older adoptions instead of infant adoptions, but then, this book is more of a broad-range reference and therefore has to cover a lot of ground. A must read for anyone considering adoption!

Raising Adopted Children by Melina

This is a complete work for couples or individuals planningto adopt children over the long term. The book provides aguided research through the various child development stageswhich include adjustment to a new family, bonding, open adoption, cultural identity and special situations.The author describes the need to have realistic expectations.The work is a "must read" for anyone planning to adopt a child or multiple children. The book outlines thetypical problems encountered and various alternatives tomanaging the stresses of the adoption process.

Great Book

I am currently in the process of adpoting a child from Korea and this was one of the best books I read -- it is definitely on my "top 5 books for adoptive parents."

Practical, reassuring advice for every adoptive parent.

As a new adoptive parent in 1980, I wanted to know what I could expect. The traditional sources of child care information were not useful to me. They talked about the importance of natural childbirth and breastfeeding to bonding and attachment, but didn't talk about how to breastfeed an adopted child or how a child not born to his parents would grow to love them. I wrote the first edition of "Raising Adopted Children" to let parents know what to expect from the time they took their child home until the time that child leaves home. This new edition of "Raising Adopted Children" reflects changes in adoption over the past 12 years, including the increase in adoptions from China and Eastern Europe and the unique issues arising from those situations. It incorporates the most recent research into various aspects of adoption, including the psychological impact of adoption, and the outcomes for children from orphanages and children who were prenatally exposed to drugs, as well as for children adopted as healthy infants. In addition to 12 more years of research, this book reflects 12 more years of personal experience. My children, just preschoolers when I wrote the first edition, are now 15 and 18. My oldest is leaving home to attend college and my youngest is beginning the quest for identity and independence. I believe I can reassure adoptive parents that the satisfaction of being an adoptive parent continues and the deep love we feel for our children grows.