This post is part of a series on older child adoption in which I am applying things I learned from adopting a retired racing greyhound to hoping to adopt an older child. While there are obviously many differences, I learned a lot that can be useful in adopting an older child.

In my last post, Dog's Eye View of Older Child Adoption: First Few Days, I talked about the things we did to ease our dog's transition into our home during the first two days. The greyhound rescue had more advice for the first two weeks as our dog became more comfortable with living in our home. The rescue advised us to restrict his freedom for the first two weeks. They encouraged us to keep him on a leash whenever he was out of his crate and allow him to follow us around the house as we went about our day.

While it was cumbersome to be attached to a dog throughout the day, this was a wonderful way to ease the dog into our home life. By keeping him on a leash, I was able to supervise him in many different situations and immediately correct any misbehavior. Also, being "attached" to me helped him feel more comfortable as his boundaries grew.

Older adopted children can also benefit from restricting their freedom during the first few weeks in your home. Children who are new to your home need to be taught the rules of the house. Your child's life might have been very different in his prior environment, so he might not know which behaviors are acceptable and which are not. By keeping a child on a figuratively shorter leash, your child will be able to watch you model the behavior that is acceptable in your home.

Giving a child too much freedom too quickly can backfire. Children need to earn the right to be granted more freedom. It is much easier to give more freedom as it is earned than it is to rein it back in when boundaries are violated. By granting more freedoms as they are earned, the child will be more likely to view the freedoms as privileges rather than as rights.

Also, keeping a child on a figuratively shorter leash puts you into more contact with a child, which facilitates bonding. You need to spend more time together in the early weeks to encourage attachment.

Related Blogs:

• Older Child Adoption blog


• International Adoption blog

Photo credit: Rosanne Mooney