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Siblings Need Each Other On Internet photolisting sites such as the websites for Wednesday's Child and the Adoption Center of Delaware Valley, brothers and sisters are often featured as a sibling group. They may have a group photo, or there may be separate photos that appear together with one description that tells about all of the children. Families often wonder if they can adopt just one of the siblings. Whether there are two, four, or six of them, when siblings are presented this way, it is because their social worker wants to find a family for all of them together. Let's say Marvin, Breanna and Keisha are featured as a sibling group. There are three different pictures, but there is only one description. They're all cute kids, but you read that 10- year-old Marvin has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and behavior problems. Breanna, eight, has developmental delays and needs special education. But the description states that four-year-old Keisha has no significant problems. And you've been searching for a little girl! In the world of foster care, where homes are temporary and caseloads may get reassigned to new social workers, Keisha's older brother and sister may be the only people who have remained constant in her short life. Whether they live in the same foster home with her or have regular visits, Marvin and Breanna share her memories and losses, know her likes and dislikes, and care deeply about her. She does the same for them. Sibling relationships are lifelong, in most cases lasting even more years than the parent-child relationship. The bottom line is: These children are already a family! In rare cases there may be a plan to separate a sibling group. Perhaps they are youngsters with such special needs that one family could not provide the high level of care needed. If that's the case, each child will be shown as an individual. The words will describe only one child, and will probably say that the child needs to maintain contact with a brother or sister who is being adopted separately. Even in this situation, allowing the child to maintain that contact will be one of the best gifts an adoptive parent can ever give. --- |