21. Adopted and Estranged

What’s the difference between estrangement from your biological child vs. an adopted child, particularly when that child is of a different race, or comes from a different country? Eli Harwood of the PASS Center in Denver, Colorado answers that question for us on today’s episode. This episode will be of interest to both adoptive and biological parents who want to make sure they’re on the same page with their adult children when they communicate with them. Tina shares an excerpt from her interview with Eli, who co-founded the PASS center to provide training and counseling around adoption issues for both therapists and adoptive families. In this excerpt, Eli also talks about: Why adoption can create a setup for later parent-child estrangement, Why trying to make things okay for an adopted child of a different race can backfire, Why love itself might not be enough to create a strong bond with an adopted child, And what parents can do to try to repair the relationship once their adopted child is an adult. Join our mailing list at reconnectionclub.com/mailing-list to receive our “Top 7 Things to Avoid When Trying to Reconnect with an Adult Child” checklist.