They call it RAD but it's not.

July 29, 2014 – a Tuesday. So, we have been busy working on our online Adoption Education these past few days. WOW! Tons and tons of scary stuff. The first topic that I was educated on was “Attachment”. This is a pretty big deal. Every parent wants to have a solid bond with their child. When you adopt a child, this is truly something that everyone in the family will have to work on. It is a bit frightening to think that this bond may not develop; however, that is why we are educating ourselves on this subject now – so that we can work on this and all bond as a family in the future.

The second topic that we learned about was entitled, “Health Concerns for Kids Adopted Abroad”. This will not be frightening at all, I thought. Again, WOW. Learning about issues from AIDS to malnutrition and the effects of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome…. I needed a break. There are SO SO many kiddos in our world who need love. There are millions of little ones who not only long for a family but also need surgery or access to first-world medicine. This was enlightening to say the least but also a bit overwhelming.

The third topic that we are educating ourselves on is called “RAD”, or Reactive Attachment Disorder. We are still busy with this subject; however, we need to take our time. This occurs when children do not bond with their adoptive families and multiple other issues take place because of this. This terrifying experience can be corrected (THANK YOU GOD) with therapy and such. However, I know that this is something that no one wants to go through. People who adopt little ones want these babies to feel receive their love.

This most recent topic has frightened me the most. As always, I take all of my fears and banish them with prayer. Many people talk to us of the “risks” of adopting, listing many of these types of things that can occur. We know, we know. However, we do not live in a spirit of fear. We know of a Savior who tells us not to live in such a way. Plus, our oldest son has Cystic Fibrosis - a chronic illness, so seriously, no need to talk to this Mama about fear and risks! Been there, done that, found a Savior.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn as much as possible during this waiting period. The more knowledge that we can acquire, the better our chances of a successful attachment will be. We will be on guard of what to watch for in order to protect our little girl. We will be looking to identify her “triggers” in an attempt to help her feel safe.

In the meantime, we still have a lot more knowledge to acquire and, as always, more praying to be done. Please, join us in praying that our little girl will be the perfect for our family and that we will be the perfect family for her. We pray that she will feel safe and loved with us all. As always, thank you for your support!