Nine Year Pregnancy
Waiting on God–Our Journey of Adoption…an adoption blog about the book, paper pregnancies, & persisting in prayer.
Year for Year
In adopting a child and writing about our journey, I have read many wonderful books about adoption, each one giving 
guidance and encouragement and helpful advice.
The book I am currently reading is “Keys to Parenting an Adopted Child” by Kathy Lancaster. She covers topics such as: what it’s like to be adopted, bonding and attachment, blending families, mixed races, ADHD, and adopting the older child.
One thing I read today I wish someone had told me five years ago when our daughter joined our family.
“A common rule of thumb is that parents should expect the same number of years to pass for a child to become unadjusted to past influences as the child’s age when he entered the home. If you adopt a ten year old, for example, expect it to take approximately ten years to balance past influences.”
Our daughter had just turned 6 when she entered our home, and she has been with us for over 5 years now. Ms. Lancaster’s comment rings true in our situation. While our daughter has made incredible adjustments and developments each and every year, she is so much more adjusted now then ever before.
If you are in the process of adopting an older child (whether 2 or 10), keep this in mind . . . and allow time to work on behavior and development.
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See also: 5 Pros and Cons for Homeschooling Older Adopted Children
What to Expect the First Year After Adopting
Love and Giving Are In The Air
Of Sheep and Shepherds (Are you struggling parenting your newly adopted child?)
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Want to read a fantastic article about helping an older adopted child understand his/her past. It is called: 7 ways to give your child a history by Gregory Keck. The timeline idea (particularly the way they do it) is really neat. But, my favorite is the water pitcher exercise for integrating past and present. If you only have time for a short read, skim down the article to the water exercise. http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=2334
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Adoption Videos on YouTube
Click here to view Delana’s YouTube Channel–http://www.youtube.com/user/9yrpregnancy Or, click the following for individual videos: Perseverance, Patience, Waiting, and Adoption http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtCRjxjocpI Reading the Preface to Nine Year Pregnancy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8MBjWC8Z_8 Singing “God Will make this trial a blessing” …
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10 Comments on “Year for Year”
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Our daughter was 22 months old when we came home and turned 2 just 2 months after. She still struggles with her language development and I always wondered if it was something within her, or something that might be more like what you’ve posted about the author’s comments in her book.
Thanks for your book recommendation on my blog. I will certainly check that one out.
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