Six When He Came to Us

Book excerpt: The public perception concerning adoption of abandoned children has changed over the years from a belief that love would solve all problems to a fear that any child who had spent significant time in an orphanage was irreparably damaged. Neither sentiment is true. The social upheaval in Eastern Europe during the early 1990s left many children orphaned and living in deplorable conditions in orphanages. Many Americans rushed to adopt some of these children but in some cases, the challenges proved to be too great and some of these adoptive parents ended up killing the very children they wanted to help. Using her family's experiences and her knowledge as a child and family psychlogist, the author tries to shed some light on the many sides of international adoption.