trauma=Trauma=TRAUMA

I was talking with an acquaintance a few days ago and she told me about a relative who has adopted or taken guardianship of 2 children ages 3 and 5. The 3 year old is a girl and the 5 year old is a boy and they had been adopted by another relative (single mother) who contracted terminal cancer and died last year. It was the wish of the dying mother that her cousin and husband should adopt the children and the children began visits with this cousin. By the time, the mother was on her "deathbed" the husband of the designated relative also was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. The dying mother of the children, was convinced by her brother and his wife to sign papers allowing them to become the guardians of the children over the cousin because the husband was terminally ill as well and the "poor, unfortunate" children would have to again lose a parent. The children had already become very attached to the cousin and her family and actually did live with them for several months until the death of their mother. When their mother died, these two very young children were removed from the cousins home and taken to the home of their aunt.

These two children suffered trauma when they were removed from their bio mother at birth (who by the way was addicted to cocaine and cannabis). Please read this as in utero trauma! They were placed in a home of a single mother as foster children, pre-adoption and were adopted by their foster mother. Please read this as Trauma at birth (separation from bio mother)! Their foster mother adopted them and I'm sure they were becoming attached to her and she of course was bonded to them...she was diagnosed with cancer and they began to form a relationship with their cousin and her family who would adopt them if their adopted mother died. They lived with the cousin for many months prior to the death of their adopted mother...and began to form a relationship...their adopted mother died and they were taken from the person that had provided regulation for them during the period of their adopted mother's illness...they were taken because the cousins husband (who they also had a relationship with) was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer...TRAUMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

These children, particularly the oldest child has been diagnosed as ADHD, Bi-Polar, and possibly Schizoid Affective...WOW!!!!! labels, labels, labels and it is all about trauma, Trauma, TRAUMA! They are of course on medication and the "new parents" are attempting all kind of behavior modification in order to deal with challenging behaviors.