If you think about it, here in the United States we love to strap kids into things. We buckle them into strollers, high chairs, swings and especially the carseat. Most of these things are required to keep our children safe and so often we don’t even realize that not all of the world uses them. It scared me to death when we were in Guatemala. They don’t use carseats. Nobody does. Instead, the baby rides on the lap of an adult. They don’t exactly drive the way we’re familiar with in Guatemala either. They cut in and out of traffic, fail to signal, cut people off and slam on their breaks. You are constantly being jostled to one side or the other – all with this precious child on your lap. I spent half of my time in Guatemalan taxi cabs praying that God wouldn’t let me lose this my son after getting this far!
Now fast forward to our first few weeks in the states. Jayden hated the carseat. He didn’t like the confining feeling of the straps across his chest or the buckles holding him firmly in place. He would cry the entire trip. After being in the states for a while, Jayden accepted the inevible. Any time we go for a car ride, his crazy American parents are going to strap him into that horrible plastic thing. Might as well just sit back and take it.
Thinking about how much better Jayden handles the carseat has made me think about a lot of the cultural differences between the US and Guatemala. This will hold true for whatever country you choose to adopt from. People just don’t do things the same way everywhere. Many of the things that we think of as “normal” are very strange to them. In the same way, those things will be strange to your adopted child.
What can you do about it? Well, if it is something like the carseat, there isn’t much you can do. However, there are other things that you can bend on instead of making your child do it your way from the start. Whether it is cooking food the way you know they like it or keeping your child’s routine even if it seems strange to you, these things can make a big difference as your child adjust. Your child has been through a huge change and his world is completely different. Take the time to keep a few things that make sense to them and try to phase in the new experiences as much as possible. Your child will thank you for it.
Related Blogs:
Celebrating Your Child’s Heritage
Why We Chose International Adoption
Getting a Baby Versus Parenting a Child