NEW DIMENSIONS IN ADOPTION

The new dimensions that Rondell and Murray deal with in their little handbook for families who want to adopt are not the less strictured requirements for parents (allowing singles or homosexuals to apply) but the increasing number of ""waiting children"" now accepted in lieu of infants in perfect health who perfectly match the applicants. In the last decade, many adopted children have been older, or emotionally or physically handicapped, or of religions or races (especially Vietnamese or Korean) different from the prospective parents. The authors emphasize the family's responsibility to help the child search for his place with them without denying his past, and they touch on problems that often arise as a consequence of separation and loss, e.g., a confusion between birth and placement, an inability to trust that may become manifest in bed-wetting, stealing, lying, depression and withdrawal, developmental regression or poor physical health. Many of the hints on child raising are quite as general as providing a sense of security for the newcomer, being cautious about ""overgiving,"" not being reluctant to discipline. Unsophisticated encouragement.