Life with Jailynn

We are enjoying our life with Jailynn. She is spirited, determined, loving, fun, and full of life. Jailynn is not afraid to tell us when she is mad...more like show us...she is always the center of our attention...she loves exploring her new home and playing with her brother, sisters, and pets! Jailynn is a joy to be with and we are all happy to have her with us. Not to say life is all peaches and cream...we have had adjustments to make and still making some adjustments. Adopting an older child is an adventure and it is important to consider the childs perspective when dealing with behavior issues. Asian children are not taught the same as American children when it comes to social skills. They are not always taught to wait thier turn, share, respect others, boundaries, ect..ect.. Growing up in an orphanage environemnt also has a big impact on behavior issues. Then add a huge communication and culture barrier, taken away from the only home the child has ever known and you can have a recipe for disaster. The important thing to remember is to keep a certain perspective in mind when issues come up and have a sense of humor and relaxed attitude, giving lots of love and limits and it is posible to get through to the child. Jailynn is making huge strides and she is adjusting to our family. She is speaking some English and learning fast. Jordyn is adjusting well to being with her sister, but she has had to realize that we are Jailynn's parents and she is her sister. In our house, we can have to many chiefs running around and not enough indians. Jonmarc, Jordyn, Amanda, and Jailynn all try to be the boss! Then we have a lot of chaos!! To say the least...we have a very interesting time...and try to add fun. I hope this makes sense...I just wanted to share a little from my heart. Adopting an older child takes work, effort, commitment, love, and understanding. My heart breaks when I hear of an adoption being disrupted or not working out because of the issues involved. When we have a bad couple of hours or day...I think about Jordyn and how far she has come. Jordyn went through a hard time because she was afraid and grieving and did not fully understand what was happening. Now, Jordyn is such a sweet, loving child. She has adjusted to our family and dearly loves her family. She is so attached to us and to her famiy. I know that Jailynn will continue to attach to us and bond with us.