A book that is often recommended reading for prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) and adoptive parents alike is Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adopted Parents Knew by Sherrie Eldridge. As an adoptee herself, the author is able to share her personal experiences and offer advice on how to best act as an adoptive parent.

This book is an excellent primer to get your mind thinking about parenting choices and how to best help your child adjust. It’s also a good piece of reference material that you can come back to as your child grows and hits different stages and their needs change. As with any piece of literature, take it with a grain of salt. Many parents are put off or scared at first by the stark honesty and sometimes negative overview of adoption, but overall, it is a good practice to read many different points of view and then create your own.

As parents we are more tuned in to our children’s needs and emotional changes, but other close friends and family members may not understand that your child may be going through adoption-related emotions. After you have read this book, you could pass it on or make copies of certain sections to help your child’s extended family know more about what it’s like to be adopted.

I personally feel strongly that we can get extremely valuable ideas and advice on how to best parent our children from those who have been in similar situations. I am always interested to hear an adoptee’s perspective and learn what worked or did not work in the way they were raised. This book is a concise, easy read that will give you plenty of food for thought and hopefully give you a better understanding about what it is like to be adopted.

On Sherrie Eldridge’s web site she offers free workbooks that can be downloaded and used in combination with Twenty Things Adopted Kids Wish Their Adoptive Parents Knew. Please note that there are religious/biblical references in the workbook.

You can buy this book here.

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