If you have a moment, check out the blog link, special needs infant adoption. Some children are difficult to find homes for because they are born with special needs. Sometimes those needs are due to drug or alcohol abuse of the birthmother. Sometimes it's a genetic disease and other times it might be a physical impairment. Sometimes the child has a birthparent with a mental illness. Brent and I were looking at adopting a special needs child from China or the United States. We (I) researched the effects of drugs and alcohol on a baby, different physical needs and the requirements for the needs and also the statistics of a child developing a mental illness when a parent already suffers from that mental illness. We found that there were many special needs that we would be able to physically, emotionally, and financially be able to work with.
One thing that really helped us was to look at our own health history. I have several family members that suffer from depression. One of my cousin's (just 22 yrs. old) died last week from the effects of his mental illness. I myself have struggled, in the past, with anxiety. Another cousin was born with fingers and toes missing or developed wrong. His father took drugs that might have been a factor in this. Brent's family has all sorts of ailments, some more serious than others.
There is a great deal of research out there for every special need under the sun. You can often find yahoogroups where parents will honestly tell you what it is like to raise a child with such and such special need. Alcohol is something that will likely affect a child for life, but many drugs will leave the system and the child is okay after they are gone. Some physical needs will last a child's life time, while others can be repaired and a child goes on without any or little lasting effects. It's a matter of soul searching, research and prayer. If you are looking for a baby or child to adopt, take a minute and consider special needs adoption. I have seen so many success stories, might one of those stories be yours?
2 comments:
wow! is all i can say.
you are my hero you know that?
i think of you with your boys and all you have gone through with them, you have taken their "special" {needs and
they seem major to me} Connor with his special learning needs and Jacob with his diet needs, even now Mailaya {SP}
with her need to be accepted. and you just go with the flow and do what needs to be done for your kids..
so i know you.. GO FOR IT!
Ah thanks Linda!!!
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