This article in a UK newspaper reminds me why I decided only to adopt infants with Down Syndrome back in 1983. It's a decision that I've never regretted. Sure a couple kids with spina bifida snuck in there and a super premie with lots of medical problems, too. But my experiences with children with reactive attachment disorder had made that decision quite easy.
We could have easily fallen victim to the turmoil that has affected this family. But that one decision, years ago, has made all the difference.
That's not to say that we haven't had our behavior problems. We certainly have! But not the kind of problems we experienced with our RAD kids.
I have the greatest respect for families I know who specialize in adopting kids with reactive attachment disorder, and have managed to keep their marriages intact. But we were on a slippery slope with our RAD kids.
We gave up our right for the 7 year old after he tried to smother our profoundly MR and autistic daughter and another time tried to cut off her fingers with a pair of scissors. The other child grew up and I'm very proud of her. Despite her turbulent childhood and wild teen years, she has been married to the same man for many years and is a wonderful mother to two beautiful boys. But, Wow! What a ride she gave us.
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