Every year, thousands of children, ranging from infancy to 18 years old, are shuffled back and forth between different foster homes. This frequent switching of homes often leads many children to not have a sense of belonging, leading to them feeling alone in the world. By changing the adoption system of the United States so that it more closely resembles the system for intercountry adoption from China, parents would be enabled to adopt children easier; thereby saving the children from a life of numerous relocations, and helping them find a sense of belonging.
Most older children that are currently going through the adoption/foster care system have been physically and/or sexually abused, and many have been traumatized by their removal from their birth home. These children most often come into the system bearing psychological problems, such as Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, attachment issues, and developmental problems (Robinson 3). Not all of these problems can be fixed immediately, if at all. The only way for these problems to be corrected is through the support of the adoptive family, as well as a therapist that the child has trust in.
Many of the children that enter care today have been exposed to some kind of traumatic event. Kids today have a higher exposure to violence, abuse, and neglect. Children who have been traumatized often show a lowered control over regulation of their moods, exaggerated startle response, emotional numbness, and physical symptoms, such as unexplained pain that ties back to the trauma (Robinson 3). Because most of the kids were so young when the trauma occurred, they have a difficult time coping with the added stress of a new home. The way that children store memories makes it harder for kids to actually know why they feel a certain way about something particular, but even though they don't know why they feel that way, they certainly know how much they don't like it.
