A reframing of adoptive parenting vulnerability—not as weakness but as the courage to remain open, honest, and changeable in relationship with the child.
Rabia's devotional practice required radical vulnerability: opening her heart completely to love, acknowledging her longing, remaining uncertain about divine response. In adoptive parenting, vulnerability means the parent remains emotionally available and responsive rather than defended or controlling. It means acknowledging when the parent was wrong, apologizing, repairing relationship ruptures, and allowing the child to affect and change the parent. Many adoptive parents unconsciously harden themselves—trying to be the "stable" provider, the expert, the one who has it figured out—to compensate for the child's possible instability or history. But this distance prevents the deepest healing. Children need to know they can impact their parents, that they matter enough to change them, and that the parent is trustworthy enough to be real. Vulnerability in this sense isn't about burdening the child but about meeting them as a full relational partner. It's the willingness to be changed by loving them, to grow, to admit uncertainty, and to remain open. This creates the safety for children to drop their own defensive walls.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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