What are some Benefits of Having an Adopted Sibling?

By: Brynn Smith 

Byline: Nora Morrow

Imagine coming home to the smell of baby powder and the sound of your parents whispering. Why might they be whispering? There’s a baby sleeping, but she isn't your sister. Yet.

That's what home sounded like for 3 months for Nora Morrow before Noami became her little sister.

When Nora Morrow was 5 years old her family was taking care of a foster kid named Nevaeh. Neveah was only about 4 months old when Nora’s family adopted her. Nora says that the difference between having a foster kid and an official sibling is that “Sometimes siblings feel like they are taking everything over but I didn't feel like that.” She continues into the topic with “I was really excited when I first met her but I didn't know she was going to be my sister.”

After Nora’s family adopted Neveah they changed her name to Noami. Nora says that she believes that there are in fact “benefits to having an adopted sibling” like you don't feel a “need to be so competitive.” “I enjoy having a sister because she looks up to me and counts on me for advice.” An article titled Lessons from an Adoptive Sibling written by Jana Hunsley, a Graduate Research Assistant at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development (KPICD) says “Through adoption, siblings can be exposed to things they have never witnessed previously and possibly never even knew existed.  This exposure can be a lot for siblings to experience all at once.  Ultimately, the experience of adoption doesn’t just change the family make-up, it can change one’s entire worldview.”

One of Nora’s favorite things about having a sibling is “that she looks up to me…” Nora enjoys spending time with her sister by doing activities like painting nails and doing each other's hair. Noami often comes to Nora asking for outfit advice. This makes Nora feel good because “it makes me feel good because she thinks that I can be helpful to her.” 

I asked Nora  what her favorite memory of Naomi was and she proceeded to tell me a story about how Naomi had a speech impediment when she was 3 and on Christmas morning it snowed. Noami ran outside and saw coyotes. Keep in mind that Nora’s whole family hadn’t ever really heard her speak a full sentence. Noami spoke up and said “look at the coyotes!” Nora can remember her whole family smiling and laughing. Nora said that having a sister has affected her holidays a lot because she has an older brother and she would rather hang out with Naomi than her older brother. Naomi has a similar perspective to Nora because she is a girl so she and Nora can talk about things that Nora couldn't talk about with her brother.

In an article from Torone Law says “After you adopt, they will make you look at the world in a way you never looked at it before. You'll see all the beauty and potential in everything around you. And they will help you see yourself with fresh eyes too.” Siblings are an amazing thing for kids to have as a resource for support and aid. Siblings are people who you know you can count on. Having someone who's always gonna be there for you can make a huge difference in your life. To sum up the article, adopted siblings show people another side of life. Having a sibling, as Nora has told us, gives us either someone to look up to, or someone to look up to you.