ABSTRACT
With the rise in family diversity over the past few decades, interest in nontraditional family life has increased significantly among social science researchers (Lamb, 1999). Of particular importance are questions concerning the way in which family diversity has an impact on the developing child, as well as questions concerning the unique parenting experiences encountered by adults who are part of a nontraditional family system. In this chapter, we explore one particular form of nontraditional family life that is becoming increasingly more common-namely, growing up in an adoptive home. Our goals are to examine the unique challenges faced by adoptive parents in rearing their children, as well as to understand how adoption influences children’s development and adjustment.
