Educate adoptive child: When is the right time?

Your child has a right to it

Even if your adopted child does not ask about it directly, it has a right to know more about its origins. It’s difficult to pinpoint the right time to have this conversation, but it would be far worse if your adoptive child found out about this from someone else. Because that would be a big breach of trust for your child.

You and your partner will face other challenges, especially in everyday life. Find out in the following article how you can master these challenges together

Educate adoptive child about adoption early and naturally

Tell your child about the adoption as early as possible. It is easiest if you keep talking to your child about adoption, even when it is a baby. That way you’ll both be better prepared when your child asks about it. Be honest about this topic. The more naturally you deal with the topic of adoption, the easier it is for your child to understand and deal with it yourself. Your child will then know that adoption is a topic that is open to discussion and that adoption is something “natural.”

When my adoptive child asks for the parents

At some point, your child will ask about their biological parents. It is completely understandable if this question scares you. However, don’t take the question about the birth parents as a criticism, because it in no way means that you haven’t lived up to your role as a parent. Your child is missing a part of their life. It would like to have this filled out. With the following five tips you are well prepared for this situation and deal with it more calmly:

• It’s nice if you try to collect as much information as possible about your child’s origin and parents early on, because the question will come up.
• If you tell him something, be honest. Don’t badmouth his parents and his background, because then you’re also badmouthing a part that belongs to your child.
• Also pay attention to your facial expressions. Be factual and truthful. Children have very fine antennae and will interpret your movements correctly or at least know that something is wrong.
• You might even help your adoptive child to look for clues if they want to. But always at the pace that it sets itself. You are its familiar person and in its search it may need you again and again. you hold him up Because some things that it discovers in the process may not be as beautiful or even disturbing.
• When you talk about your child’s biological parents, you shouldn’t talk about the “other parents”. It should be clear to your child that this belongs to the past and is not present or future. Rather speak of his “former parents”, so your child can better distinguish this time.

More information on adoption

You can find more tips on how to deal with your adopted child, the challenges of everyday life and the requirements and process of the adoption in our “ Adoption ” section.