Straight From The Adoption Agency - How To Help The Child Acclimatize To His New Environment

A newly adopted child is expected to encounter some difficulties adjusting in his new home. The first few weeks will be a very volatile period for the child and for the adopting parents. The child has to be motivated in a certain way so that he will quickly acclimatize to his new surroundings. Here are some tips to help you achieve this purpose.

Though it is not a necessity that the adopted child should call you "mom" or "dad," encouraging the said child to do so will make him or her feel wanted and appreciated. The problem that most adopted children face is the need for validation, which they cannot express given their young age and given the new environment they will be living in. More often than not, it will always be better to make the child know that he or she is part of the family, so that things will be easier for him or her.

Studies show that showering the newly adopted child with gifts may be detrimental to his or her optimal development. Dr. Marquis Bennington, a child psychologist operating in Milwaukee, says that "children who are fresh from the adoption agency and who are bombarded with gifts in their new homes start to feel like they have reached paradise after many years in hell. Though we all want the child to feel that the worst days are behind him, this is not an advisable route to take. The child still needs to learn that he has to earn what he will receive. Based on the experiences I've had with similarly situated children, a child who is showered with gifts is more susceptible to becoming spoiled."

Allow the child to socialize. Again, Dr. Bennington has these words to say about the matter: "the child spent a considerable amount of time in the orphanage. Coming from the adoption agency, he'd be separated from the group he has grown accustomed to. Too many changes are detrimental for any child. Allow him to spread his wings and gain new friends. This will greatly help him acclimatize to his new environment.

Allow the child to speak whatever is in his heart. The child used to live in a foster home before winning the right for his custody from the adoption agency. A foster home is a repressive environment, given the fact that everyone there know that their parents have abandoned them. You have to encourage the child to speak out to remove whatever conditioning was gained from his previous environment.