Whether you are parenting children in foster care or have grown your family through adoption, Raising Wildcats will help you understand the tough issues-those caused by lack of nurturing during the early months. This book offers helpful suggestions that have been used successfully by me, my clients, and many other foster and adoptive families. Little did I know I'd adopted a wildcat of my own when I first brought my seventeen-month-old child home from China. In the 1990's social workers and child development specialists still didn't realize the importance of early childhood attachment. Not much had been written about RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder). I thought my child was a charming, delightful, appealing toddler whom I instantly adored. Now, armed with the insights gleaned from being a struggling parent followed by years of intense study, I can help you overcome the challenges created by early childhood abuse, neglect, institutionalization, and trauma. If your child lacked early nurturing because of being moved from one primary caretaker to another or chronic hospitalization in those critical early months, Raising Wildcats is the book for you.