Adoption is simply another method for bringing a new member into your family.

Whether by birth, adoption, foster care or any other method, families function better when they have a sense of togetherness. In this busy and often chaotic world, families are quickly losing sight on what actual family time is.

Read books with your children. Nightly reading helps to give you one on one time with your children. It also helps them advance their literary skills at a much faster level. Story time also gives children time to think and talk as stories often give children things to ponder and think about. Stories on adoption or about adoptive families are a great way to bring up questions they may have. This works just as well for both the adoptive children and the birth children as each may have their own sets of questions. A nightly story time ritual also gives children a sense of importance as you are consistently putting aside special time for them each day. This is extremely important in our hectic and chaotic lifestyles. Children need to have the feeling that they are just as important as your job. Spending a little time with them each night is often all that it takes to accomplish this.

Share family jokes. Little funny jokes between family members give children a lighthearted way to chuckle. These inside jokes also give children a sense of something they are secretly sharing with their own family. Both adoptive and birth children can break down barriers when they have something that they believe that only their family knows. Of course, light and silly secrets are key to something like this. Serious or harmful secrets should never be harbored and a close family should be aware as much as possible when there is potentially an issue with any child. Silly inside jokes, encourage closeness. Closeness will open up further lines of communication.

Establish a routine. It is well known that there are various tasks that must be dealt with every night in order to prepare for the next day. Establish a routine with a set of tasks for each child. Children feel more secure when they have a daily routine. Working together makes each child's original background feel like less of an issue. Adoption is less of a barrier for them when they know what to expect, how to expect it and what their participation in it is. It also creates a sense of accomplishment for each child when the task is completed.

During and after an adoption all family members react best when they have meaningful time together. Teaching children they are valuable takes more than just words. Often it is the actions they remember the most. They will teach their own children what they have learned at home. A family that can share valuable moments together will find that they are able to raise happier and more secure children. Children, who in time will pass these same values onto their own families. Some of the most meaningful things you can do hardly take any time at all.