Saturday, March 6, 2010

Take Time to Make Time

At our house, ski season is winding down. Little League season is right around the corner, then comes summer camp, then it's soccer season! Add in some music lessons, gymnastic lessons, school, scouts, birthday parties and holidays... Whew! Family life with kids is always busy! Who has time for a support group, right??

Well folks... you gotta take time to make time. Support is important!

According to the North American Council on Adoptable Children (NACAC.org), family support groups are especially important for children who were adopted from other countries and cultures. Family support group gatherings offer international adoptees the opportunity to:

~ meet and interact with kids who have had similar life experiences
~ gain insight into some of their own behaviours and family issues
~ meet other children who look like them
~ meet other (mixed-race/adoptive) families like theirs
~ feel less isolated and alone
~ increase their self-esteem

Both parents and children who participate in adoptive family support groups find acceptance and understanding.

The following paragraph is from "Groups of Support" by Suzan Black published in Adoptive Families Magazine:

"Almost every adult adoptee I have talked to who was not involved in a group with his or her family has mourned this fact. Almost everyone has said, When I was growing up, I wish I had known other kids who were adopted just like me. I had no one to empathize with what I was going through. I felt really alone at times. Our children will face many, many issues regarding their adoption as they grow up, and a group will allow them to interact with other children who have been through similar feelings and issues."

Peter Morgan, an adult adoptee wrote this for the Adoptee Reflections section of Adoption Today Magazine:

"I guess if there is a single most important thing that my parents did to support me as an adoptee it is involvement. I think involvement is so important for adoptive families. There are so many families out there with the same questions, issues and adopted children who would love to meet each other. I feel fortunate that my parents kept themselves and me so involved throughout my years growing up."