The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

DOES your teen, - always seem angry? - have anger that turns into rage? - show signs of depression, i.e., withdrawal, slipping grades? - show disrespect to you or disrespect people in authority? - self-protect by keeping people at a distance? - lie, manipulate and steal? - ever talk about his/her biological parents? - want to find his/her biological parents? DO you, - feel comfortable about your teen's behavior? - recognize signs of RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder)? - believe you must be adopted to show signs of RAD? - understand what is meant by the Primal Wound? - think it makes a difference at what age a child is adopted? - understand bonding and how it can be disrupted? - understand the fear and pain of an adoptee? - understand adoptee' difficulty in trusting and showing love It can be difficult to know if your adopted teen's anger is normal and within the range of typical teenage behavior. Most teenagers get angry, especially during the years when their bodies are ch...

It can be hard to separate normal teen problems from those stemming from deep seeded adoption issues. The best way to understand your adopted teen is to simply talk to them. As Sue Scheff™ knows, keeping the lines of teen and parent communications open is the best step to fixing teen troubles. Unfortunately, most teens feel uncomfortable sharing troubled emotions with their parents, especially when the parents aren’t biologically related. The best thing adopted parents can do is stay informed of some of the issues that could affect their adopted teens. One major teenage adoption issue is the Primal Wound™ phenomenon. The term Primal Wound™ was coined in 1993 by Nancy Verrier in her revolutionary adoption book, Primal Wound™. Primal Wound™ refers to the feeling of duality that adopted children must overcome as they transition through their teenage years. An adopted child experiences separation from their natural caregiver, severing a link that will never truly be forgotten. Experts and...