Q & A

Our friend Deanna asked a couple of questions in response to our last post. Great questions, in fact…

How quickly do they tell you the little guy will pick up English?
And what is the adjustment time for a little guy coming from his background?

There are several factors to consider with both questions, but probably the biggest will be his age. The younger he is, the more easily he should pick things up. With the age range we’ve requested it should happen very quickly. Comprehension will come first (and fast from what we’ve seen so far – Haley’s been home just over a month and I can’t get over how much she understands and responds to), then spoken language.

Another common practice is to teach your child some basic signs to help him/her transition from one language to another. Baby Einstein has a Signs DVD – has anyone seen it? We thought about buying it so he could start watching it on his way to America.

As for adjustment: in addition to his age, it will also depend on his stage of development and what kind of attention/support/contact he’s received at the orphanage. But it’s amazing to read other blogs & see how quickly their preschoolers pick up on language and adjust to their new lives. Most seem to be fairly well-adjusted within 6 months, but of course it differs from child to child.

The first couple of months will definitely be tough. We’ll need to create structure and routine for him as he starts testing his boundaries and as we strive to bond with him. We’ll also have to be cautious about social events and visits from friends & family until we determine what he can handle. Some children are quickly ready to go to big family functions and have lots of people over. Others need minimal outside contact (and even minimal books & toys) in order to become comfortable and to fully attach to mommy & daddy. Once home, only time will tell!

Thanks for the questions Deanna! Anytime anyone has a question, feel free to post them as a comment or email us. We want our friends and family to have a good understanding of this process.