Parenthood is a beautiful journey, one filled with love, challenges, and endless opportunities to learn and grow. For adoptive parents, this journey can be especially unique, as it involves navigating the BOTH/AND of adoption - the complexities of grief and loss alongside the joys and everyday responsibilities of raising a child. While walking alongside our kids as they process big feelings, we may realize the conventional ways of parenting and possibly our own experiences in how we were parenting, fall short of our intended outcome. Fortunately, there is a wealth of knowledge and support available from some brilliant minds and authors. You'll notice "Dr." in front of many of the authors below - and that's because there's a lot of research on the brain and body that's impacting the way we think about attachment and healthy development of not just adopted children, but all children really. If you have biological kids living in your home, we would bet these resources can be helpful for them as well!
Check out our list below for recommendations to help educate and equip you as an adoptive parent. If you're like me and are currently lacking in the 'quiet time to read' department, my favorite way to catch up is to download the audiobook (or rent through Libby or another library app!) and listen on my commute, while running errands or waiting in the school pickup line!
What Happened to You? by Dr. Bruce Perry and Oprah Winfrey
The Connected Parent by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Lisa Qualls
Raising Kids with Big, Baffling Behaviors by Robyn Gobbel
The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
Beyond Behaviors by Mona Delahooke
The Whole Brained Child by Dr. Dan Siegel & Dr. Tina Payne Bryson
No Drama Discipline by Dr. Dan Siegel & Dr. Tina Payne Bryson
The Out of Sync Child by Dr. Carol Kranowitz
Hold Onto Your Kids by Dr. Gordon Neufeld and Dr. Gabor Mate
Reclaim Compassion by Lisa Qualls & Melissa Corkum
As with all our recommendations, we know each child and each family is unique. Therefore, the needs of the family and what "'successful parenting" looks like will differ! These recommendations aren't the end all be all, but we think they are great resources for families to check out.
Required Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, Adoption Support Alliance does earn a small amount if you purchase books from the links shared above. But, please know, we won't recommend any books that we don't believe would enhance your family's life. We also fully support you supporting local bookstores! But, if you will order on Amazon anyway, we'd love for you to use the above links to do so.