Many adopted kids seem to have more than their fair share of issues when they reach the adolescent years. Some can suddenly turn on the very people who rescued them years before, the family who adopted them. Why is that?
Here’s why . . . just as self-awareness begins to grow in the early teen years, adopted children can begin to struggle with the who and why of their adoption at this time — even kids who were adopted at birth. Feelings of abandonment by their birth mother can burst to the surface and add to an already emotionally charged adolescence, fueled by a search for meaning, belonging, and validity in their life.
Many adopted children question their true identity during the teen years. For the mortified adoptive parents, their teenager may demonstrate a profound and shocking lack of appreciation and even a temporary hatred of them. So, the obvious question from these parents is, “What have we done wrong?” My answer to them in most cases is that they have done nothing wrong. Continue reading “When Adopted Children Become Teenagers”
There’s nothing more gut-wrenching for a parent than to deal with their teenager’s drug addiction. It’s like a slow death, not just for the teen, but for the the entire family. And it won’t get better without treatment and ongoing support, sometimes spanning the addict’s entire life. That’s why it’s far better for parents to test for and catch substance abuse early, before it gets a foothold. 
None of us can see our own errors; deliver me, LORD, from (my) hidden faults! –Psalms 19:12 