A Personal Note about Adoption
from Dr. Scott Turansky
I have a lot to say about adoption, not only because Carrie and I adopted two girls into our family, but also because I work with many adoptive families and have done quite a bit of research on the challenges of adoption.
In short, I believe that all children who are adopted experience heart damage because the person who bore them is not the same as the one who is raising them. That damage occurs in several areas of the heart, but most of the time involves the conscience.
The conscience prompts a person in four areas: Do What’s Right, Deal With Wrongs, Be Honest, and Care About Others. Not all of the areas of the conscience are always affected, and many adopted kids have significant strengths along with their weaknesses.
Sometimes adopted children simply need a loving home and God uses that to heal the brokenness. But I find that many of these children need more specific work to rebuild the damaged areas of the heart. I commend you for your ministry heart and willingness to rescue a child from the challenging past. We are ministers together in the true sense of the word, giving of ourselves, often more than we ever expected, in order to use our families as a place of healing and growth.
As I work with adopted kids, I draw from three of our curriculum at the same time. I’ve created this web page for adopted parents to understand the specific parts of our curriculum and why they’re helpful. I believe that most children need therapy and that parents are the best therapists for their kids if they have a good plan.
My goal is to provide the therapy strategies for parents so that they can work strategically with their kids. Below I explain why these books and tools are most helpful. These are not just books though. We call them curriculum because they are programs you implement in your home.
Each of these tools walks you through a process to implement change in your child, in you, and in the dynamics that exist in your home. I trust that God will use these resources to empower you on your journey. It’s not an easy one, but it is rewarding to serve the Lord as an adoptive parent.
We’ve designed a Strategic Reading Plan to guide you through these six books in ten weeks. You can download it here.
