Was Your Adoption Education Elementary?
In the August 25th Adoption Disruption and Dissolutions episode of the Creating a Family Podcast, Dawn and her guest, Dr Ronald Federici, discuss how to avoid this heartbreaking situation. It was a very compelling show with great information for people concerned about this topic. I was particularly intrigued by an excellent point that Dr. Federici made about prospective parents being ill-prepared for the challenges that come along with adoption. He suggested that a greater focus on adoption education and preparation by adoption professionals may reduce the number of dissolutions and disruptions. I understand from the agency’s perspective that they don’t want to scare off prospective parents but I don’t think it helps anyone to overshadow the importance of preparation and education.
I am an advocate of the power of education in all areas of life but for something so critical, it’s imperative. In my own experience, my agency introduced the educational piece as “this is the schedule of required training just pick the one you can make.” It was more of a check-the-box task. The actual training was excellent for helping us to understand the challenges that we might face.
When I was discussing this topic with a friend, he had a different take on the situation. He pointed out that people having a baby, and I quote, “the old fashioned way,” receive even less training and the change to their lives is just as impactful. I, of course, attempted to explain that an adopted child might present some unique challenges. He went on to argue that, in some cases, biological children have challenges that are just as great. How would you respond to that? How satisfied were you with your education from your adoption professional? What do you wish you were better educated about? Please leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.
