Nature and Nurture
I am a mother of five children. Two biological, and three adopted. Two of our adopted children have the same birthmom. Both of these children are awake, happy, and LOUD at the crack of dawn. They love the morning, and cannot wait to start the day. I am a late sleeper, and prefer things to be very quiet until lunchtime, so I know they didn’t get this early morning enthusiasm from me. The other day I was talking on the phone to my kids’ birthmom, and found out that she, too, is an earlybird. She said she is known for being happy and energetic in the morning. This was very interesting to me, and I started researching ‘nature vs nurture’ in adoptive families.
For those unfamiliar with this subject, nature refers to the genetic makeup of an individual, while nurture refers to the way an individual was raised.
I found a very informative article at adoptivefamilies.com. It cites research from the Sibling Interactive and Behavior Study (SIBS) launched in 1999 by the University of Minnesota’s Center for Twin and Family Research. The study had two purposes: first, to examine how siblings interact and influence one another, and second, to see how family dynamics impact the psychological health of adolescents. Four hundred of the six hundred families in the SIBS study were selected because they include at least one adopted child. Some questions it seeks to answer are:
-Will I love the child I adopt as much as I would love a child I gave birth to? What if the child is of a different race?
-How does it work to have both adopted and biological children in the same family?
-Is it important for an adopted child to live with a sibling of the same ethnicity?
Is it important for an adopted child to live with a sibling of the same ethnicity? – See more at: http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=246#sthash.b0XKMTpl.dpuf
Is it important for an adopted child to live with a sibling of the same ethnicity? – See more at: http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=246#sthash.b0XKMTpl.dpuf
Is it important for an adopted child to live with a sibling of the same ethnicity? – See more at: http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=246#sthash.b0XKMTpl.dpuf
How does it work to have both adopted and biological children in the same family? – See more at: http://www.adoptivefamilies.com/articles.php?aid=246#sthash.b0XKMTpl.dpuf
While the study is still new, (with only 1/3 of the data being collected, to date) the preliminary findings seem positive for adoptive families. Here were some of the most significant findings:
I knew that my adoptive children were as much ‘mine’ as my biological children, but it is always comforting when there is scientific research to confirm these feelings of ‘family.’ It will be interesting to see the conclusive results of this study in years to come. For now, I will enjoy my energetic little earlybirds and think of their sweet birthmom when they are knocking at my door at 5 am.