Adopted Children Visiting Their Homeland Country

International adoptive parents are encouraged to take their children back to their birth country for a visit one day. What is the reality of homeland tours for the children and their families? Is it always a good idea? How can parents prepare their children? Join our guests Dr. Iris Ponte, child development specialist, and Debra Jacobs. Both are adoptive moms and the authors of From Home to Homeland.

Listen

Hit the Highlights

Conflict between what parents and child expect from these tours.
What age is “best” for taking your child back to visit the country of his birth?
What factors to consider when deciding when to do adoption travel?
Visiting your child’s birth country with a group vs. as independent travel.
What type of preparation should you do before you take your internationally adopted child on a heritage tour?
Should you take your adopted child back to visit her foster family, orphanage, or child welfare institution?
What factors should you consider before visiting the orphanage or foster family with your child?
Should you be concerned if you are bringing two children on a homeland tour and there is the possibility of different receptions and responses from their orphanage, child welfare institution, or foster family?
Should you take your adopted child back to their “finding place” or place where they were abandoned or left?
What factors should you consider when searching for birth families on motherland tours?
Should parents initiate a birth mother search when their children are young?
How does a search of birth family affect the homeland tour?