| Abstract [eng] |
The Adaptation of Adopted Children in the Family and Social Environment: Adoptive Parents Experience Summary In Lithuania nowadays the issue of adoption is very topical, because the number of the disfunctional families is constantly rising. Many children are left without parents care and there are just few families who want to adopt a child. In addition the process of the adoption is rather complex and contradictory. However, it is the best measure for the child, who is not able to come back to the biological parents, but who needs to be loved, to be important, to grow up and develop properly. Moreover, this problem has to be analyzed because there is the lack of the information about child’s adaptation in the adoptive family and the other social environment. In the first part of this work there is written theoretical providence (about the situation of the adoption in Lithuania, the stages of the adoption process, the specific problems of children adaptation). The results of the the qualitative research (interviews were taken from four adoptive mothers) is analyzed in the second part (the experience of the adoptive parents: the adoption process, the adaptation of the children in the family and other social environment and also the changes in the whole family life). The objective of this work is to present the adaptation in the new environment peculiarities of the children through the adoptive parents experience. The outcomes revealed that the adoption gives an opportunity for the child to grow up in the loving family, and for the adoptive parents – to realize themselves as parents. The adoption is the time for changes in the family life: the new mothers / fathers roles emerge, the leisure time activities, the priorities, the responsibilities of the parents also reverse. The family needs to adjust to the new conditions, to change the life style and behavior. The adoptive parents and their child have to experience confusing and complicated period of the adaptation in the family and other social environment. What is more, the child gives the real family feeling, a big joy and happiness. The parents pay much attention for the child’s needs, interests and wellbeing. To sum up, it can be stated, that every adoptive families experience is specific and unique, but some common points can be also found in the child’s adaptation process. Never the less, the adaptation of the child depends on his or her age, some character features and the experience from the past. |
