Attachment Disorder

I have a concern that is really close to my heart--adopted children. We have two of them; sometimes these kids deal very much with feelings of abandonment. It can be very difficult for them to attach to their adoptive parents. Most adopted kids do have this issue, but how much they deal with it varies greatly. These concerns go a few different directions:

1) These children: God has a heart for the orphan and those who care for them. We should never take this lightly, and after watching my son process through his issues to figure out his purpose and God's design in his life, I understand why God's heart leans in this direction a bit more. It's hard! They hurt. Their pain does turn into behaviors that can be scary at times, but it comes out of the pain of abandonment. God wants them to know He didn't abandon them, and that's hard to prove to a kid who feels the only one he can trust for his survival is himself.

2) These parents: These parents who love and hurt with these children need our prayerful support, not our judgment. We have had to float churches for a period of time for the reason that the church doesn't get it. They think the behavior of the children is a simple behavioral issue (if there even is such a thing in any case). Sometimes they assume it's bad parenting. But putting up with uninformed attitudes has sometimes put our son in a more difficult position than he needs to be. We recently received a call from an amazing youth pastor at a church we probably never would have visited. Our son had been going to youth group there. He said, "Please, will you send your son to camp with us?" Understand, I get the opposite request quite often, so this caught my attention. My husband and I met with him. We asked him if he really understood what it meant to keep a child like this with you for a number of days. He said, "Yes, I do. I work with three other families like yours, and we really do want to help." Our son came back from camp having really met with God. That wouldn't have happened without the love of this church toward our son.

Parents of attachment disorder children are probably the best parents you will ever meet. They certainly go through the war more than any other I've met. Pray with them.

3) Something is happening in me in my calling. It's evolving (if I can use that word in it's proper sense). I'll keep you posted on that one.

I have a lot to say on this one. You'll have to put up with me for awhile. :)

Michelle