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The journey of foster care is one of the most wonderful anyone will take. It can also be extremely difficult. Education is the key to understanding the joys and challenges of adoption.



Buckner staff members encourage adoptive parents to be lifelong learners through classes, training and reading. What better time to start than National Book Month! 

Here are some of the books our foster care and adoption experts recommend to anyone interested in learning more about parenting children who have suffered abuse and neglect:

Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control

If we could suggest one book to foster and adoptive families it would be "Beyond Consequences, Logic, and Control" by Heather T. Forbes. The author wrote this book after she adopted her second child. She faced many behavioral challenges with him, and it was all linked to the past trauma he had experienced before being adopted. This book lets parents see a different side of parenting.

Forbes’ book is reader-friendly and includes resource checklists at the end of each chapter. If you have ever considered foster care or adoption, we cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Ready or Not: 30 Days of Discovery For Foster & Adoptive Parents

This quickly became a must-read for families considering foster care or adoption. The book is laid out in a 30-day devotional format. Each devotion starts with a verse, a short section of reading, related scriptures and ends with discussion questions for families. Through scripture and biblically-based concepts, "Ready or Not" aids families in considering the impact foster care and adoption will have on their lives and families and explores motives and expectations for the foster care and adoption experience.

The book allows families to receive valuable insight into the journey from someone who has lived it. After reading this devotional, families will be more educated and prepared for parenting a child who has experienced trauma and abuse. 

Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care

Written by adoptive parents, this book challenges all Christians to take seriously the words of James 1:27: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”

It’s a great book for foster and adoptive parents, but also for pastors and church leaders. It provides great insight on first-hand adoption experiences, supporting adoption and funding, and how churches can take action in the community. It gives great encouragement to families considering adoption and poses a great challenge to the church to take action in caring for those in need.

Parenting the Hurt Child: Helping Adoptive Families Heal and Grow

This is an essential book for those contemplating or embarking on the journey of becoming foster or adoptive parents. Many children being serviced by child welfare programs throughout our nation have been hurt by someone they should have been able to trust. If you’ve chosen to embark on the journey of becoming an adoptive parent to one of these children, you likely have hopes, dreams and images of success. Perhaps, you currently have one of these children in your home and the dreams and images might now look dark and hopeless. If so, then "Parenting the Hurt Child" is a must-read book.

This updated and revised sequel to "Adopting the Hurt Child" provides valuable suggestions to help these hurt children begin to heal, grow and develop. Along with reading stories of those who have walked the same journey you are on, you will learn what works and what doesn’t to help your adoptive family heal and grow. Someone has wisely said, “The best hope for parenting a hurt child is knowledge.” Reading "Parenting the Hurt Child" is a good beginning step in gaining such knowledge. 

Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families and Churches

The book gives a Christian perspective on families and churches embracing the care of orphans not only in word, but also in deed. The author discusses his experience with international adoption, but also discusses the importance of adoption through foster care. The author also encourages churches to engage in orphan ministry, pointing out that we are all “adopted through Christ.”

This book is recommended for individuals who are considering the adoption process as well as pastors considering an orphan ministry for their church. The author offers practical advice about many steps in the adoption process, such as finding the right agency, paperwork issues, and the importance of permanency for children. 

If you're interested in learning more about ways you can become a foster parent through Buckner, please click here or call 1-855-264-8783.

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