We've Been There by Susan Tebos

 

Candid, unfiltered stories about how it feels to be a teen adoptee

The teen years are full of uncomfortable self-discovery for everyone. But adopted teens grapple with issues that make the coming of age journey immensely more difficult. Many don't have words for what they're feeling, sensing, or believing about themselves. They often don't have anyone like them to help them work through their struggles. Forced to cope on their own, they end up feeling isolated.

Adoption advocate and adoptive mom Susan TeBos has watched her own children go through these struggles. Often she wished for a voice that would resonate with adopted teens--her own and others--and authentically meet them where they are.

She found not one voice, but many: over thirty adopted teens and young adults. We've Been There gathers their stories, giving readers a front row seat to people with similar stories and feelings.

This book is an unprecedented glimpse into the unfiltered feelings, thoughts, experiences, and unanswered questions that well up in the heart of every person with adoption in their story. From people who have been there as adopted kids, this book not only invites adopted teens to bring their concerns into the open, but also helps them process how they feel and offers them hope on the other side. In these pages, teen adoptees will understand themselves in a whole new way and find reassurance and a sense of belonging as part of a global adopted community. 

Pick up your copy here...                                                                                                                                    Amazon.com: We've Been There: True Stories, Surprising Insights, and Aha Moments for Adopted Teens: 9780825447310: TeBos, Susan: Books

Hey there. I'm Susan TeBos. I’ve put together a collection of stories for adopted and foster teens told to me by international and domestic adoptees from across the United States. Let me just say loudly that these people are AMAZING and INSIGHTFUL. They taught me so much, which in turn I share with you. I love it when people use their stories to lift others up. In We’ve Been There, teens 16 and older will find a range of stories that truly reflects how adoptees feel and process things in their teen years. It is a long-overdue connection point, a gift from one adoptee to another to remind them they are not alone.

I am a Michigander: Midwest kind and smiley, except in February when I get a little ornery from the gray sky and knee-deep snow. I am married to Mike, and we have three children who were adopted from Russia. We like watching movies together, hanging by the campfire, mountain biking, and traveling internationally. Yes! We loved visiting Prague in 2021. I have an MA in communications and co-authored "Before You Were Mine: Discovering Your Adopted Child’s Lifestory" published by Zondervan. I’ve always sought ways to help my kids process this piece of their story.