Before I Met You

About the Book

All children have questions about their beginnings. For adopted children and their families, these questions are not always easily answered. Most children adopted from China are faced with the additional difficulty that there are no facts available about their birth and early life. Before I Met You is meant to be shared with children adopted from China. It addresses the difficult issues of the “one-child policy” and abandonment in a sensitive, child-appropriate manner. Just as important, it explores the many feelings that adoptees generally experience when they think about their own history, and serves as a beginning that parents can use to discuss and validate the child’s feelings. Here is one mother’s view and use of this book… “Before I Met You has given me the tools I need to talk about my daughters’ beginnings with them. The book’s balance between guessing what might have happened in their early lives and admitting that we really don’t know is handled with delicacy and openness. The focus on feelings has given us a starting point for family discussions about all of the feelings that adoption engenders, and a way of reassuring them that it’s normal and healthy to have and express those feelings.” (Marie Lowry, adoptive parent of two children.) All profits from the sale of my book will be donated to Families with Children from China National Appeal.

About the Author

Doris Landry is a psychotherapist who specializes in attachment and adoption work with children and their families. She has a Masters Degree in clinical psychology and over twenty years of experience addressing the special needs of children, particularly internationally adopted children. Doris is affiliated with the TheraplayÒ Institute in Chicago, is a member of ATTAChä and has spoken nationally and internationally on parenting and the emotional needs of children. Doris has a private practice in southeastern Michigan and is an active member of the “Attachment COALITION of Michigan.” She lectures frequently and conducts workshops for waiting and adoptive families. Doris also maintains a website with helpful information at WWW.ADOPTIONPARENTING.NET.