Adoption Is for Always

Rating:
Summary: md
Review: I am currently in the process of adopting two four year olds and thought the book would be helpful. Although it may be helpful to older children, I found it a bit depressing. I would worry after reading it my younger children they would start having some of the thoughts or symptoms described in the book just from hearing them.

Rating:
Summary: How very sad!
Review: I notice that most of the people who have written reviews of this book are adopters. As an adoptee who spent over 34 years separated from my family, I can only say that I am still searching for a book that honestly explains the tragedy of mother and child separation to a child. As a real mom, I would not dare allow my children to see a book that uses such derogatory language as "birth mother" to describe a child's real mother. It is important that books bring up a child's real parents, but it is also important that a child be told the truth, that he or she has real parents. Also, what is the deal with telling a child that his or her parents loved him or her and that's the reason for giving away the child? What kind of logic does that make? No wonder adoptees are often overrepresented in mental health facilities and prisons. We are told lies from the beginning. Unfortunately, this book does little to help the situation, continuing the lies and even touting that "Adoption is for Always." Indeed it is not. If a child can be taken away from his or her parents and given to adopters, the adopters can also be replaced. Please, someone, write a true book about adoption! Unfortunately, this one isn't it.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: I read this book with my 9 year old adopted son. Even though he didn't comment, I felt it helped him feel alone in his feelings and questions about his adoption. The story is very realistic and discusses many of the questions he has had recently. I highly recommend this book for any adopted family, especially for those children adopted at birth. I think it would be a bit above the heads of some younger children.

Rating:
Summary: My kid likes it
Review: Our daughter came to us at age seven after a long time in fostercare. It is hard to find a book that describes this type of adoption to children and although this book is also about a child adopted as a baby, our little girl loves it. She brings it out and asks us to read it to her often and it usually gets her talking about her birth parents, which is a good thing. It is important for children to know and accept that adoption is not weird or embarrassing and it is okay to talk about, love and think about birth parents whether they know and remember them or not. Birth parents are an important part of who our adopted children are and this book has been valuable to us for starting that dialogue with our child.

Rating:
Summary: A great book for fostering love for the birthmother
Review: This charming adoption book shows us loving and caring adoptive parents who know how to handle the difficult moment Cecilia first hears about her adoption and says "I want you and Mommy to be my ONLY mommy and daddy!" We had the same experience with our daughter whom we adopted at four days of age. She didn't want to hear about another mommy and throughout the years wished we had not brought up the subject. The author is sensitive about having a teacher understand Cecilia's questions about her birthmother and assure Cecilia that her birthmother loved her. This is a good book for adoptive parents whose children need to be reassured of their permanent place in the adoptive family and who should be encouraged to love their absent birthparents.

Gisela Gasper Fitzgerald, author of ADOPTION: An Open, Semi-Open or Closed Practice?