Forever Parents: Adopting Older Children

Rating:
Summary: Good news and bad news about adoption
Review: "Personal" stories about adoption are hard to sell to publishers, since they have a limited market. All's the pity, because they can be invaluable to those of us struggling, or about to struggle, with similar issues.

When they discovered James' infertility, the Kloeppels chose adoption, first of one sibling group of two, and later another. This book is an honest, and sometimes painful, account of both the challenges and the rewards the Kloeppels encountered.

The Kloeppel felt that they were reasonably well-prepared for the first adoption and very well-prepared for the second; yet, both times, they were taken by surprise and found themselves struggling with the children's serious behavior problems. Their salvation, in many ways, was an adoptive parents' support group. Too bad they were never helped through their agency, via some kind of adoption preservation service, or guided by a knowledgeable family therapist.

The good news in this book is that older children can be "successfully" adopted, growing and healing and becoming a source of joy and pride to their adoptive parents. The bad news is that adoptive parents are frequently left to fend for themselves rather than being connected, from day one, with supports and resources to facilitate a successful placement by helping adoptive parents help their troubled kids.

By the end of the book, the four Kloeepel children are apparently well-functioning and well-adjusted, and it seems as though their pasts and their adoption are no longer issues. I'm curious about what the Kloeppels would say by way of a sequel, for I cannot imagine that the road ahead will be entirely smooth. At the same time, I am grateful to this couple for sharing their story with me, as I plan for my own adoption of older children.

Rating:
Summary: Important and Interesting Info for all those involved
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and wanted to buy a copy to find it's no longer published and a premium price would need to be paid to get a copy.

My husband and I are in the process of adopting a sibling group of 2. This is by far the best and closest to home book I've read yet. I enjoyed reading the trials and tribulations of the Kloeppel's and most importantly the wonderful outlook and positive changes that take place.

In our process, we realized how every person you tell takes the news differently - some very enthused, some skeptically. I would highly recommend this reading to grand-parents and friends and/or other relatives interested, we need support just like any new mom or dad - although this is a little different, it really isn't. I could even see an older adopted child in Junior High enjoying reading this one.

Life is not simple, but it's rewarding with a lot of hard work ...... should adoption be any different.