Foster To Adopt | Adopting a child is a great act that can benefit not only the adopted child but everyone involved as well. With that being said, it is not always an easy transition to make especially for your biological children that are already living in your home. A biological child that now must transition to sharing their home with an adopted child can experience a great range of emotions. Here are some of the fears that can occur from a biological child’s perspective.

Loss of attention

One of the biggest fears a biological child may experience is the loss of their parents’ attention. In this way, an adopted child can act similar to a new baby sister or brother being born. The adopted child will likely require extra attention at first so that they can acclimate to the new environment. This may make the biological child feel left out and not as loved as they felt before. It is important to have conversations and open dialogue with your biological children before committing to adoption. Everyone in your family needs to be on board with this decision.

Learning to share your parents

Related to loss of attention, biological children must also adapt to sharing their parents, which can cause anxiety in the beginning stages of transition. With an added child in the house biological children’s parents will naturally not have the same amount of time they used to have for them. This can often cause tension between the biological child and the adopted child. Parents needs to make sure that they are always listening and understanding with all emotions that surface.

Learning to share your space

Another fear that many biological children face is the loss of their personal space. When parents decide to adopt a child that may mean that their biological child now needs to share a room, share a bathroom and share their common living area. This can be a big deal and a lot to handle for the biological child. Trying to set up designated areas where your biological child can still have alone time can be crucial to make a smoother transition.

Being the biological child when your parents decide to adopt a child can be a difficult situation that is full of change. The best way to help your biological child overcome these anxieties is to be open, honest and listen to their concerns. For more help with this transition and to learn more about how to adopt a child you can visit Children First Foster Family Agency.