Attachment

“Attachment” is a big word in the adoption world. There are techniques and methods that parents are taught to use when their children come home to foster attachment. Nicholas did pretty well in this area and we only had a few small concerns. He is an extremely friendly child and would pretty much hug and kiss anyone he met. Sounds nice, huh? Not when you are trying to teach your child about strangers and trying to bond and attach with him. Family and close friends are one story, but some random lady who flashes him a smile is another.

Well, that has started to change in the last month or so. I’ve noticed that while Nicholas is still very friendly, most people get a “hi” and a wave. He doesn’t hug as many people. He has his favorites, but with others he may even act a little shy. I can’t tell you the number of times he’s hid behind me and then all of a sudden pops his head between my legs. Not an attractive sight, I’ll tell you.

Also, he’s had a harder time going to his Sunday school class lately. Our church moved to a new building at the end of March. Couple that with some new teachers added to the rotation and Nicholas hasn’t been as willing to walk through the door of his class. I had mixed emotions today as he held out his hands and said, “Mommy!” as I handed him off to his teacher. This is a great sign! He wants me. He’s not happy to settle for someone else. On the other hand, no one wants to see their child unhappy. Thankfully, he settled down after a minute and began playing with some toys.

I love to look back and see how much he has grown and changed. I continue to thank God for allowing his transition into our family to go as smoothly as it has. A week from today I will be celebrating my first Mother's Day. I'm so excited that I get to celebrate with a little boy that tells me on a regular basis that "Mommy and Nicholas are best friends".