Utah Mom Raising a Daughter Adopted from Belarus Says the Media Isn't Telling the Whole Story

ALPINE, Utah--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jodi Bean wants mothers of troubled children to know they don’t have to suffer alone. Even though the media has largely condemned the mother who sent her adopted son back to Russia, Bean is empathetic. Raising her adopted daughter Victoria from Belarus has been a long and difficult journey.

“Everything has been one-sided. I have lived that mother’s life and have felt those feelings of hatred and disgust for my child. Hundreds of times I would have gotten rid of her. I didn't, but many do”

It didn’t take long for her to realize something was wrong. The parenting skills she used to raise their three boys didn’t work. No amount of love or discipline worked. Victoria was full of rage and fear. Their story of eventual healing was recently featured on Good Morning America and is the topic of the book, “Love Lessons.”

Learn more about the book, “Love Lessons”: www.lovelessonsthebook.com

Bean endured years of constant defiance, rages, lack of remorse, empty promises, and mean behavior from her daughter. She tried so hard to love and provide everything she could. Nothing was ever enough. Eventually she became so worn down that any love she had slowly turned to hate. After the third year she became numb and indifferent. Eventually she found the resources to heal.

As she watches the media lynch the mother who sent her son back to Russia she’s convinced it will push parents into further seclusion. “Everything has been one-sided. I have lived that mother’s life and have felt those feelings of hatred and disgust for my child. Hundreds of times I would have gotten rid of her. I didn't, but many do,” she explains.

Bean reaches out to other parents through her book, seminars and the Finding Hope Foundation. “I searched and searched for a book like mine to validate my feelings: the love, the hate, the indifference. No one talks about it. The feelings these kids provoke in parents is very real and very damaging. It is traumatic for both the parent and the child. Without education makes it harder for the parent to get to a loving place and more difficult for a child to trust,” she said.

Jodi Bean is available for interviews and can be reached at 801-610-9037.

Related Resources:
Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Love-Lessons/218536399250
Love Lessons Web Site: www.lovelessonsthebook.com
Finding Hope Foundation: www.findinghopefoundation.com
KSL TV: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=7955014
Good Morning America: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Parenting/return-adopted-child-advice-parents-international-adoptions/story?id=10360247