Attachment

Two more days!

If all goes as planned (I'm really tired of the *if* word), we'll be meeting our little guy for the first time on Tuesday. I can't imagine a better birthday present.

We're so excited... yet prepared for a rough transition. 

Imagine life from the view of this 6 year old boy:

*He's been in multiple homes over the last 4 years.

*He is meeting a family he doesn't know exists yet.

*He'll be leaving the foster home he's been in for the last year.

*He will have a period of time with little contact with his grandmother- who happens to be the only person he's currently attached to.

*He'll be coming into a home with new rules, new routines, new foods, new toys, etc.

*He'll have a dad for the first time ever.

*He will be coming to a church full of people who know of him... yet he knows no one.

*He'll be meeting extended family~ new grandparents, new aunts and uncles and cousins.

*He'll be showered with attention from a whole bunch of people

It's going to be overwhelming for him. He already struggles with some attachment issues based on the number of moves he's made, and now he's being asked to start an entirely new life yet again. It won't be easy on him, but we have a few requests that may make life a bit easier for our family.

Some requests from us:

*It's important that we are his main caregivers. If he's hurt, sick, sad, angry, etc, it's incredibly important that we are the ones to comfort him for the next little while. He needs to learn that we are here to care for him.

*He's going to grieve the loss of the life he knows. He's going to throw some tantrums. It's going to be hard. Please walk beside us and pray for us. It's will probably be a rough road for a while.

*If you see him at church, the store, etc, over the next month, you are welcome to give him a high-five, introduce yourself, ask him questions about school, etc. Please be aware of how overwhelming his little life is. Too much attention from "strangers" may be scary for him. We've all prayed for him and talked about him and hoped for him... but he doesn't know any of us.

*Kaden may struggle with boundary issues- that's a common concern in older child adoption settings. We will be working on appropriate boundaries with "strangers." As much as many would like to wrap their arms around this little boy, we would like big hugs to just come from immediate family as he adjusts to us. 

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask us. We're pretty open in talking about our family. We're thankful that so many love this little guy!