Helping Kids Prepare for The Adoption of A Sibling

When you plan to bring another child into your Virginia home, your existing children may feel understandable anxiety about the upcoming change. Adopting a child affects the entire family, but there are certain steps you might take to make the transition easier for everyone involved.

Per CreatingAFamily.org, the more you do to prepare the children already living in your home for the arrival of another, the better the chances of everyone learning to live together and adjusting to life as a single family unit. To help your existing children adjust to the idea of having a new adopted sibling, consider taking the following steps.

Set Realistic Expectations

When you adopt a child, you likely do so because you want to enrich your family and give a child in need a safe place to call home. However, there is often a period of adjustment when you welcome a new child home. Letting your existing children know that there may be a few bumps in the road at first may help keep them calm when these hurdles arise.

Be Mindful of Birth Order

If you have a child who has always been the baby of the family, but now you are adopting a younger child, take time to nurture the feelings of the child who is losing his or her position within the family. The same holds true if you have, say, just one boy or girl in the family and are adopting another.

While you work through the adoption process, it makes sense that your new adoptive child is going to be a top priority. It is important, however, that you also prioritize the needs of your existing children along the way.