Adoption, though beautiful, always starts with a tragedy. Some specific things children grieve include the loss of family, friends, care-takers, foods, pets, culture, anything familiar, their name if it gets changed, etc.

• Parents must remember that grieving can present itself in many different ways (crying, challenging behaviors including defiance, shutting down/unwillingness to communicate, anger outbursts, seeking control, etc.)
• Grieving can be triggered at various stages and points in life (developmental milestones like birthdays and graduations, anniversary of certain dates, certain smells, etc.) and can vary in intensity