We've Been There: True Stories, Surprising Insights, and Aha Moments for Adopted Teens

by Susan TeBos

Overview

Candid, unfiltered stories about how it feels to be a teen adoptee

The teen years are full of uncomfortable self-discovery for everyone. But adopted teens grapple with issues that make the coming of age journey immensely more difficult. Many don't have words for what they're feeling, sensing, or believing about themselves. They often don't have anyone like them to help them work through their struggles. Forced to cope on their own, they end up feeling isolated.

Adoption advocate and adoptive mom Susan TeBos has watched her own children go through these struggles. Often she wished for a voice that would resonate with adopted teens--her own and others--and authentically meet them where they are.

She found not one voice, but many: over thirty adopted teens and young adults. We've Been There gathers their stories, giving readers a front row seat to people with similar stories and feelings.

This book is an unprecedented glimpse into the unfiltered feelings, thoughts, experiences, and unanswered questions that well up in the heart of every person with adoption in their story. From people who have been there as adopted kids, this book not only invites adopted teens to bring their concerns into the open, but also helps them process how they feel and offers them hope on the other side. In these pages, teen adoptees will understand themselves in a whole new way and find reassurance and a sense of belonging as part of a global adopted community.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780825477843
Publisher:	Kregel Publications
Publication date:	06/14/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Susan TeBos is a writer, speaker, and Bible study leader. She and her husband, Mike, have adopted three children from Siberia, and the family makes their home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Susan is an adoption advocate and the co-author of Before You Were Mine: Discovering Your Adopted Child’s Lifestory.

Table of Contents

Introduction On Opening Up 9

Section 1 Dare to Overcome Wrestling Is a Part of Life

1 Brave 14

2 A True Friend, Music, and God 20

3 Standing Strong in Who You Are 25

4 Who Am I? 32

5 Making Progress 40

6 Bake It 'Til You Make It 47

7 Resolve to Forgive 54

8 Emotional Tug-of-War 63

Section 2 You're Not Alone We've Been There Too

9 Perfect Match 74

10 Full Circle 80

11 On Being Heard 86

12 A Life of Purpose 94

13 Insecure to Self-Assured 99

Section 3 Trust Again It's Worth the Risk

14 Onward 110

15 The Other Side of Hurt 118

16 From Overwhelmed to Wedding Bells 124

17 Learning How to Live Again 130

18 Putting It Into Words 138

19 The Music Returns 147

Section 4 Search for Answers … or not It's Normal, Okay, and Expected

20 When I Went Back 160

21 All-American Guatemalan Southern Girl 166

22 Why Them and Not Me? 173

23 Something Special About Kate 180

24 I Just Want to See 189

25 The Future Is Worth Fighting For 197

Section 5 Acceptance A Natural Remedy for Peace

26 She Is Who She Is 206

27 The Best of Him 210

28 Finding Myself 217

29 The Draft 223

30 Permission to Grieve 232

31 I Love My Family and Know I Belong 238

32 You Get Me 243

33 Thankful 249

Conclusion Moving Forward 256

Acknowledgments 260

Appendix: The Somewhere In Between Club 261

Notes 263