Raising Adopted Children

View other editions of Raising Adopted Children.
View books by Lois Ruskai Melina.

The book to start you on the road - Rated
Myself and my husband are at present going through the adoption system and i found this book has helped me in terms of understanding issues that can come up and also getting us through the whole process. it is written in a really easy format and as it is written by an adoptive parent herself there is no lingo just common sense. as it is american i thought it would refer a lot to the american system but this book is useful wherever you live

Very reassuring - this book is like a friend! - Rated
My husband and I are preparing to adopt and this book has been excellent in every way, both emtionally - especially thinking about the relationships with our family, as well as considering the changing environment - something as simple as decorating a room. My best bed time reading for ages. I started out with trepidation but this book is helping me to ask a lot of questions.

Good solid information, very practical book - Rated
This book covers a lot of ground about adoption and really gets into the thoughts of the adoptee and the adopting parents. The sections on Talking about Adoption and Bonding & Attachment are quite good. This edition also contains an updated section on International Adoption which is quite helpful.

More importantly, the back of the book is full of resources and references that you can use for follow-up information.

The only thing that kept this from being 5 stars is that it takes a lot of effort to read the whole thing. Many of the ideas are reinforced over and over again, which is good, but can really sap the reader.

Great job overall though.

Practical, reassuring advice for every adoptive parent. - Rated
As a new adoptive parent in 1980, I wanted to know what I could expect. The traditional sources of child care information were not useful to me. They talked about the importance of natural childbirth and breastfeeding to bonding and attachment, but didn't talk about how to breastfeed an adopted child or how a child not born to his parents would grow to love them. I wrote the first edition of "Raising Adopted Children" to let parents know what to expect from the time they took their child home until the time that child leaves home. This new edition of "Raising Adopted Children" reflects changes in adoption over the past 12 years, including the increase in adoptions from China and Eastern Europe and the unique issues arising from those situations. It incorporates the most recent research into various aspects of adoption, including the psychological impact of adoption, and the outcomes for children from orphanages and children who were prenatally exposed to drugs, as well as for children adopted as healthy infants. In addition to 12 more years of research, this book reflects 12 more years of personal experience. My children, just preschoolers when I wrote the first edition, are now 15 and 18. My oldest is leaving home to attend college and my youngest is beginning the quest for identity and independence. I believe I can reassure adoptive parents that the satisfaction of being an adoptive parent continues and the deep love we feel for our children grows.