by Sharon Meyer

Created on: February 02, 2009

The benefits of adopting siblings does not come to the adoptive parents but rather to the siblings themselves. Studies have been done that show the benefits of keeping siblings together and also the negative affects of the separation of siblings. In most cases the children have endured on going abuse or a great tragedy in their life. They have been removed from their biological family for serious reasons or their parents have suddenly died and subsequently all they have left is each other. In earlier years it was quite common to split siblings into different adoptive families but in the last decade or two social; science has shown just how traumatic this separation could be. Only in extreme circumstances are children now separated from their biological siblings.

If you stop to think about it, the sibling relationship over the years will at some point become a longer and stronger relationship than the marriage or relationship of the parents who reproduced them. In many family situations today the sibling relationship has been the only stability in their lives as they watch male parental figures come and go.

One would like to believe that the sibling bond is stronger in families who are well adjusted but the exact opposite is true. The sibling bond becomes much stronger in dysfunctional families as often times these siblings needed to depend on each other for their very existence. Many times the older siblings have been the ones who have raised the younger ones. To separate such a bond between brothers and sisters creates another traumatic event in the lives of the children.

The less trauma that occurs in a child's life the better their emotional well being. When children are removed from their biological parents even if there was an abusive relationship it causes yet another trauma to take up residence within the child's Psyche. To then separate the siblings into different adoptive families causes an even more serious traumatic event that could forever destroy the emotional well being of all the children involved.

Many adoptive parents are concerned about adopting siblings because of this very same sibling bond. The older siblings are sometimes very reluctant to turn over care of the younger siblings to the new parent. Sometimes it takes the older siblings time to build a trusting relationship with the new adoptive parents before they themselves can relax and become aa child again.

When we take into consideration that the very psychological well being of a child depends upon being adopted with their siblings we can clearly see and understand the full benefits.

Learn more about this author, Sharon Meyer.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.