Advice

I will never get used to people's unsolicited advice. Yesterday I met a woman through a mutual acquaintance. She is a retired counselor, and was asking questions about my forever family. After a couple of minutes, she went on a bit of a tirade about adopted kids and made these points clear:

They ALL have attachment disorders. 
You better be sure you know EVERYTHING about their mental health history before you decide. 
Once they have seen abuse there is NOTHING that can change the outcome of who they become.

And so on. So basically she thinks that this is a terrible idea and all adopted kids are crazy and will never be able to lead a good life. Okay, I am aware of challenges of adopting kids through foster care. I have taken classes, read books, watched webinars, and prayed about these things. I have spoken to the kids' counselors and read their histories. I know this will not be easy. Does she think I haven't thought of this? That my husband and I just woke up last week and thought, "Wow, kids in foster care are easy to get and have no problems. They sound like a perfect way to build our family without having to struggle." I believe she had good intentions, but it definitely did not come across well. I KNOW there will be lots of struggles! I have LIVED through lots of struggles already with foster parenting, and I know it will not be an easy road, but I really do not need anyone, let alone random people, implying that I am making the biggest mistake of my life. My advice? Be supportive of people who may be choosing a different path than you. They have their reasons.