This is the second in a series of posts about decision-making in adoption. Read Part 1: Deciding to Adopt here, and stay tuned for next week’s post about making the decision to adopt privately or through foster care.
After the long and prayerful decision to begin the adoption journey for your family, your varieties of options have just begun. What you must also research and conclude is whether your family will be more suited for a domestic or international adoption. If you are new to most anything adoption-related, you may think that only geography separates the two alternatives. However, considerations far above a child’s geography play into which type of adoption your family elects to pursue.
Some questions your family may have when making this decision may include the cost difference between domestic and international adoption, wait time differences, ages of children being adopted, legal processes and more. While there are a few similarities, each adoption process comes with its own specific details that make it unique, just like each adoptive family is unique. What your family will ultimately need to do is review each option’s requirements and choose which path is best for you.
Below, you can read through some of the characteristics that identify each type of adoption and be more educated as you make your decision.
Regardless of which type of adoption you choose, one of your first steps will be finding a reputable professional to guide you through the steps ahead. Here’s what you need to know about finding a professional for each type of adoption:
Another similarity international and domestic adoption share is the requirement of an adoption home study. However, the home study process will vary depending on the type of adoption you choose:
One of the biggest differences between domestic adoption and international adoption is the type of adoption opportunities that are available to prospective parents. Here’s how the two types of adoption differ in this aspect:
The level of openness is another factor differentiating domestic and international adoption. While every situation is different, domestic adoptions tend to allow more opportunity for openness than international adoptions do.
Of course, this may be the most obvious difference between international and domestic adoption. The geography of your adoption will affect your process for your family and your finances when it is time to travel to meet your child.
This is often one of the major deciding factors for couples debating between international and domestic adoption. Here’s what you need to know about the costs for each process:
While these are just the most obvious and frequently asked questions surrounding your adoption options, there will always be more to consider, starting with your family’s hopes, anticipations, ability to travel, financial commitments, and much more. When you have done your research and been in contact with multiple adoption agencies to answer your questions and offer information for your family, you will be better equipped to choose between domestic and international adoption when bringing a child into your family.
This is the second in a series of posts about decision-making in adoption. You can read Part 3: Foster Care vs. Private Adoption here.
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Jill is a 32-year-old wife and mom. She has been married to her husband, Brannon, for eight years and has 5-year-old and 1-year-old daughters. Jill and her husband are currently in the adoption process to bring another baby into their home. Jill lives in a small community in Kentucky. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish and obtained her Master’s degree in Christian Ministries. Jill’s passions are her faith, her family, writing, playing sports, and eating good food.
After decades of secrecy regarding adoption records, New York now permits adoptees to obtain their original birth certificates when they turn 18, allowing them to find out the names of their birth parents. This new law overturns 84 years of secrecy with sealed adoption records in the Empire State. Thanks to support from legislators like adoptee Pam Hunter (D-Syracuse), Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the landmark bill into law on Thursday, Nov. 14. The new law allows adoptees to obtain their original, certified birth certificates from the state Department of Health when they turn 18 years old. If an adoptee is deceased, their direct descents or lawful representatives will have a right to obtain the birth records. The law goes into effect on Jan. 15, 2020. For the past 84 years, New York adoptees could not access their original birth certificates. If they were born into a closed adoption, like assembly member Hunter, they might not ever know the identity of their birth parents or their own medical history. Hunter’s support for the bill came from never knowing her birth parents, but wanting her medical history for the sake of her own biological children, too. Back when the original law was established in 1935, adoption professionals believed that closed adoption was the best solution for all involved, mainly in the name of protecting the privacy of birth parents who placed their children for adoption. However, with the rise of genetic testing and online ancestry sites and the overwhelming acceptance of open adoption, it’s rare to keep an adoption truly “closed” in the modern world. Not to mention that closed adoption is a bad idea for all — it keeps adoptees from the important medical and social history they need, while preventing birth parents from ever receiving any closure for their adoption choice. Recognizing the trends of modern adoption, Cuomo said much the same during the bill signing. “Where you came from informs who you are, and every New Yorker deserves access to the same birth records — it’s a basic human right,” he said. Unfortunately, many states still maintain sealed adoption legislation. You can find a list of them here; if your state is there, please consider contacting your state legislator to push for more openness in adoption laws. We applaud the news coming out of New York State, and we look forward to seeing other states follow its lead in the years to come!
Falling in love at first sight is often a thing of fairy tales — but finding your perfect adoptive family match doesn’t have to be! You may be thinking, “There is no such thing as ‘The One’ when it comes to choosing an adoptive family.” I say, “You’re wrong.” Finding the perfect adoptive family isn’t about finding the “picture-perfect parents.” It’s about figuring out your vision of what a perfect adoptive family match looks like. Whether you are a single pregnant woman considering adoption for your baby, a new mother seeking an adoptive family for your newborn, or a prospective birth mother in one of a million other scenarios, know that “The Ones” are out there. They are waiting for you. You just don’t know it yet.
The first and most important indicator is a prospective birth mother’s motherly instinct. I know this from personal experience and wise words once gifted to me from a dear friend. I have a friend who was told she could never bear children. So, her and her darling husband decided they would become adoptive parents. After adopting their two oldest children, a miracle was given to them, and my friend had a natural birth from her very own pregnancy! I chose adoption for my baby and, when it was my turn to go through the rollercoaster ride of the adoption process, I was sure to call my friend every time it looked like there was about to be a scary turn. No matter the situation that I was facing, this friend kept giving me the same advice: “Don’t spend energy trying to cultivate relationships that are not meant to be. When you are faced with a decision during this adoption process, listen to your gut. When it’s time for you to meet the prospective adoptive family who will raise your child, God will place them before you. When you meet your perfect adoptive family match, you will just… know. Trust your motherly instincts. They are a gift from God.” So, I listened to her. And I couldn’t find appropriate words to express my gratitude to her and her advice even if I tried. Oh, and she was right. I found them.
The first step in an adoption process is creating an adoption plan with an adoption professional. This is the point where every prospective birth mother can start dreaming about the future for both herself and her baby. In my adoption plan, I specified all the factors that were important to me in a waiting family. I knew I wanted my child to be raised in my home state so I could have an open adoption relationship with him after placement. I also knew I wanted a couple who had a strong moral compass and a desire to live a life based on other principles that I value. Many other factors came into consideration, as well, including the length of their relationship, their parenting and discipline styles, and the type of education and extracurricular activities they were involved in and which they wanted to share with their own child. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you finalize your adoption plan — and your wishes for an adoptive family — with your adoption professional:
These are only a few questions that every prospective birth mother should consider as she decides what family is right for her baby. Remember that prospective birth mothers have a bittersweet choice to make when it comes to choosing the perfect families for their babies. I know that, for me, I felt a great responsibility to my child when creating my vision of what a perfect adoptive family would be like.
I think it’s important that I say one thing I’ve found true in my own adoption experience: Don’t just choose the waiting family that’s perfect for your baby. Chose the adoptive family that is perfect for YOU, too! When I first decided that I was going to place my baby for adoption, my focus was on my son and finding the perfect adoptive family for him. However, very early into my adoption process, I realized that the only way I would remain at peace with my decision was to find a waiting family that was perfect for me, as well as for my child. You see, I was looking for a very open adoption. I wanted frequent contact with my child during his upbringing and I also wanted to have a relationship with his adoptive parents. I wanted to find an adoptive couple who also desired to have a loving relationship with me. I didn’t want to be cut off from my son, and I knew that the perfect adoptive family for me would be a couple who wanted an open adoption as intensely as I did. Therefore, I told my adoption professional that I would only be looking for waiting families who were hoping to find an open adoption with a prospective birth mother. No matter what you are looking for in your ideal adoptive family, express it to your adoption professional. You never know if an adoptive family is telling their adoption professional about the same thing in hopes of finding you. So, go ahead and dream, girl! Dream big! Your perfect adoptive family match is out there. Just remember what my friend told me: “Trust your gut.” -Lindsay Arielle Lindsay is a guest blogger for Considering Adoption. She placed her son for adoption eight years ago and hopes to use her experience to support and educate other expectant mothers considering adoption, as well as adoptive families.
A South Korean organization that facilitated international “adoptions” in the 1980s has been found to have kidnapped and abused children before shipping them overseas, often without the knowledge of their biological parents, as reported this week by the Associated Press. Official documents show that, between 1979 and 1986, 19 children were adopted out of the South Korean facility Brothers Home and sent abroad to new adoptive parents. Indirect evidence from other documents show at least 51 more adoptions as a part of an illegal orphan pipeline feeding private adoption agencies in North America, Australia and Europe. The AP previously uncovered a system of government cover-up and a high level of abuse of children and the disabled at Brothers Home, where thousands of children and adults deemed “vagrants” were kept enslaved, raped and even beaten to death. The discovery of the adoption “pipeline” raises questions of exactly how many children were adopted into different homes with no knowledge or consent from their birth parents. One woman adopted at age 4 in 1982 says police officers found her on the street before taking her to Brothers. Weeks later, she was sent to another orphanage and then a new home in North America. The AP’s report had her questioning whether her whole adoption story was a sham. “One of my main questions is wondering if I was supposed to be [at Brothers], or if my parents, my biological parents, are still out there looking for me,” said J. Hwang, who didn’t know she had been at Brothers. “Why me?” Adoptive parents were unaware of the conditions at Brothers and their newly adopted children’s stories. Biological parents may not have known their children were at Brothers, let alone that they had been adopted to an entirely different country. A loss of records means an accurate number of adoptions completed through Brothers is impossible to know, but sources indicate that there was “no doubt” that Brothers was selling babies to North American, Australian and European adoption agencies.
International adoption policies have been on shaky ground for a few decades, in part due to increasing restrictions on adoptions across national borders to American parents. Where international adoption used to be a common way for Americans to bring children into their families, recent reports show intercountry adoptions to the U.S. have dropped more than 84 percent from 2004. And it’s stories like these that are the reason. For many decades, American would-be parents were able to easily adopt from countries throughout the world. However, a lack of regulation and credible information from agencies led to exploitation of birth parents and their children. Politics have played an increasing role in this drop, too. When hopeful adoptive parents from the U.S. travel to another country to adopt, they often enter a whole new world: one with different cultural expectations, adoption regulations and language barriers. Unfortunately, it’s more common than not that crucial information is lost in translation — the adoptee’s personal background, whether their birth parents actually gave consent for adoption, or whether the adoption professional actually did their due diligence before placing the child for adoption. As the South Korean story shows, it’s an opportunity ripe for exploitation. The ethical dilemmas of international adoption extend far beyond the placement period, though. Individuals who are adopted from another country rarely have the ability to know who their birth parents are or what their adoption story is. They face identity struggles in assimilating to their new culture, often with a huge language and cultural barrier. International adoption is a lifelong journey, and it can be full of heartbreak for everyone involved — for adoptees who can’t create a self-identity and adoptive parents who face questions from their children that they can’t answer. Any hopeful parent considering an international adoption must research their options thoroughly and understand the pros and cons of this process ahead of them. We encourage any prospective adoptive parent to speak with both domestic and international adoption agencies before starting. Only that way can you understand the difference between each and determine which you are most comfortable with. Find more information on international adoption here before making the best decision for your family.
As part of the ongoing challenge against the Indian Child Welfare Act, a federal appeals court has agreed to rehear a lawsuit filed by adoptive parents claiming ICWA discriminates on the basis of race and infringes on state rights. The adoptive couple, Chad and Jennifer Brackeen, first sued the U.S. Interior Department in 2017. After fostering a Native American toddler for more than a year, their petition to adopt that toddler was challenged in court, due to ICWA, when a nonrelative Native American family expressed willingness to adopt the boy. Eventually, the placement fell through, but the Brackeens took their case to court to express their belief that ICWA unlawfully “elevates a child’s race over their best interest.” Their case led to ICWA being briefly ruled mostly unconstitutional, but a circuit court overruled that judge’s opinion in August of this year. However, news this week that the 5th Circuit will rehear the case “en banc” means the challenge is not yet over. ICWA was initially passed in 1978 as a response to the separation of American Indian and Alaska Native children and parents. Studies showed that 25 to 35 percent of all native children were removed from their homes, with 85 percent of those children placed in homes outside their families or tribes. Since then, ICWA has faced challenges, one of which was reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013. Oral arguments for this rehearing will be scheduled at a later date. Stay tuned for more news on this court challenge, and read more about ICWA here.
Sometimes in our culture or in the modern media frenzy, adoption is portrayed as a type of fantasy or rescued love story. We see adoption romanticized in movies or recognized in articles, a person’s personal family-building decision made public because of their fame or fortune. Unless you have been through the adoption process, you are probably unaware of almost anything besides the YouTube videos where an overwhelmed mom and dad first meet their adoptive child and embrace for their first tear-filled memory. This emotional moment is neither the beginning of their journey nor the final scene of their adoption.
It’s difficult to make realistic decisions about adoption if you don’t have a realistic understanding of how the process works. In a series of upcoming blogs, many steps of a real adoption will be addressed, beginning with the very first: deciding to adopt. As we go through some of the questions to be answered as you decide if adoption is the path you want to pursue for your family, carefully and honestly consider one of the biggest decisions you will seek, not only for you but for the one brought into your family.
For almost everybody that is considering adoption, they have come to this conclusion as a result of something else in their life. Maybe infertility is your why. For others, adoption is a means to be a mom or a dad without waiting for a spouse to be in the picture. Some families want to add children after traumatic experiences with past pregnancies. Whatever motivation you have that has led you to contemplate altering the lives of two families, you must trust in that reasoning with as much confidence as you have in the very air that will fill your lungs with each breath you take. If you see it as just a whim or charitable adventure you have hastily planned out, you may need to rethink your impulse.
You also want to be certain, whatever led you to seek out an adoption, that you fully understand the emotional associations you have for wanting a child. If you have suffered through years of infertility, have you grieved that loss before pouring your heart now into a new path to parenting? Our initial sentiments about becoming a parent may not have included adoption, but if that is where life is leading you, be firmly secure in that position before moving past a wound that is not yet healed.
Adoption is certainly not for the faint of heart from either side of the picture. But all that it requires can be so worth it if you know you are ready for what is to come. The mounds of paperwork to muddle through can deter many good intentioned families on its own, much less the home study scrutiny and questions that accompany its process. Then there are so many other aspects to consider, such as the finances associated with adoption, the type of openness that your family welcomes from a birth mother, family adjustments when a new child is brought home, questions from outsiders about adoption, among many other things to think through. Knowing your stance on all these issues will make for a smoother decision.
You have to be ok with knowing that the answer to this question is, “I don’t know!” Once all the required steps have been completed in order to begin actively pursuing a match with an adopted child, there are no guarantees. Patience will be something you not only endure, but you’ll learn to study how to wait with grace. It could be months to years, and there is no way of knowing specifics. In adoption, surrendering our control over this process is humbling and sometimes challenging, but in the end, two families are forever changed.
Research what type of adoption you want to pursue. International or domestic. Private or foster-to-adopt. There are several opportunities to be informed about when seeking adoption. And they all bear the weight of financial responsibilities to complete the adoption process. Starting with paying for the application fees and home study costs that every adoption will require, you will also find other expenses such as rates for the lawyer, birth mother necessities, legal documentation, and more. Find out if your family can take on any adoption expenses with money from savings, fundraisers, loans, or other options for providing for these expenditures.
Many of us go into adoption thinking we have a good grip on what it will be like, and then we also are blindsided by how the process differs from our expectations. Some of the best things to do for our understanding is to attend trainings, do research, listen to other adoptive families, and ask questions of adoption professionals. These things will be imperative to the sensibility of anyone jumping into an adoption and wishing to be as prepared as possible.
No matter how much you know, how secure your finances are, or how ready you are to tackle the stacks of papers to be completed, if you are in it alone, your journey will feel much more demanding. Having support and encouragement from those around you has to be one of the most valuable pieces of the puzzle when deciding whether to adopt. There will be long days when you will need sustaining. Some moments will be emotional, requiring the sentiments of a loved one. On a tough journey, you will need to glean strength from others who have it to spare. As you are researching details and combing through finances, bring your family and friends in on your decision, not for approval, but for support. Know that you have a tribe of others who walk this road with you and provide what you need even when times are unknown. Cling to these people, and you will be forever grateful.
This is the first in a series of posts about decision-making in adoption. You can read Part 2: Domestic vs. International Adoption here.
On Nov. 1, a sad coincidence, the first day of National Adoption Month, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a proposed rule to repeal a 2016 regulation that was designed to prevent discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The removal of the regulation would permit federally funded foster care and adoption agencies to refuse services to LGBTQ families for faith-based reasons.
If passed, the rule could be published in the Federal Register by Monday, Nov. 11. It would then be subject to a 30-day comment period, after which time publics comments would close and the ruling could become final. The rule would affect any foster care agency, adoption agency, or similar entity that receives funding from HHS.
Tony Perkins, the president of Family Research Council, which focuses on politically conservative causes, said in a recent statement, “Thanks to President Trump, charities will be free to care for needy children and operate according to their religious beliefs and the reality that children do best in a home with a married mom and dad.”
However, contrary to Perkins’ claims, research has actually shown again and again and again that children raised in homes with same-sex parents show no differences from children who were raised by opposite-sex parents.
Many are concerned that this proposed ruling could prevent LGBTQ couples from adopting — which is significant, given that same-sex parents constitute a larger percent of adoptive parents than opposite-sex parents. According to the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law, an estimated 114,000 same-sex couples in the U.S. were raising children as of 2016. Additionally, the report found that same-sex couples were far more likely to adopt compared to opposite-sex couples: 21.4% of same-sex couples with children were raising an adopted child versus 3% of opposite-sex couples with children.
There are more children than ever waiting for permanent placement from foster care, but The Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) actually reported an increase in adoptions with public agency involvement, rising from 57,209 in 2016 (the year the LGBT anti-discrimination policy was enacted) to 59,430 in 2017 — marking the highest number of adoptions from foster care to date.
Defenders of the 2016 regulation say that, in benefitting a few faith-based adoption professionals, the new rule would harm the estimated 123,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care who could be denied parents that otherwise qualify to adopt, with the exception of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
However, regardless of this proposed rule, adoption is still possible for LGBT families. Consult with a professional that has experience with LGBT adoptions for more information.
It’s 2019, and that means it’s time to celebrate World Adoption Day! During National Adoption Month, everyone in the adoption community will have another opportunity to celebrate just how much adoption means to them. But, what is World Adoption Day, and why should you participate? If you’re ready to learn more, here are some big and some small ways that you can get involved on World Adoption Day.
In case you don’t already know, let’s start off with what today is all about. World Adoption Day was launched in 2014 by AdoptTogether founder Hank Fortener. The goal was to raise awareness about adoption and to celebrate families created through this process. It’s also a day to raise funds to support hopeful parents waiting to build families of their own through adoption. Since its inception, celebrities and ordinary families alike have shown their support from all over the world for a global celebration of adoption. You can take part in the celebration, too!
There are so many ways that you can get involved and make your voice heard today. Here are just a few:
There are so many creative ways that you can get involved and spread awareness about adoption. So, don’t be shy. Let us hear what World Adption Day means to you and how you plan to get involved in the comments below!
What I have referred to as one of the least enjoyable tasks of the adoption process is also one of the most crucial. I have a three-inch binder dedicated only to keeping track of the paperwork we have completed for our adoption. Taking a peek inside that binder reveals hours and hours of necessary applications and procedures in order to bring us to where we are today as we await the time when all that paperwork pays off.
If you’re considering adoption or starting the process, those mounds of paperwork can seem overwhelming. Here’s a glimpse into our experience with the adoption paperwork to help you better prepare for the journey ahead:
The infinite trail of documents began for us when we went to our local home study agency to get our feet wet in the ocean of adoption. We had not even committed to any agency or the type of adoption we were seeking, but we completed a preliminary application for adoption services, which was the least invasive form we have completed thus far. But just when I thought, “That was easy enough,” we were handed an eight-page questionnaire concerning details about our family, our history, health, parenting style, the type of home we live in, and the type of adoption we desired, just to hit the high points. Each question was open-ended and required much thought from us to answer sufficiently.
Next, my husband and I were each given a seven-page document to describe in detail each of our lives from birth to our present age. Our families were combed through; education, employment, health, relationships, lifestyle, significant life events, and finances were all put into question as a potential adoptive father and mother. To go along with these forms, as a family we completed a financial information form that itemized each of our payments, debts, and income as well as a letter from our bank referencing our good standing to ensure we would be financially stable to adopt.
We were also required to complete a multitude of background checks before any services could be rendered. We each filled out applications for our state’s criminal background check, the child abuse and neglect investigation, the FBI background check that included fingerprints, and even health background checks to ensure the well-being of all family members. Our home study agency also required us to give four names of references that would vouch for our character as we proceeded to adoption.
In addition to all of the paperwork we were asked to fill out, we had to provide copies of everyone’s birth certificates, our marriage certificate, a copy of our most recent income tax return, our driver’s licenses, and copies of our health insurance cards. These only required the locating and gathering of each item.
All the above paperwork was completed in hopes that once they finalized our home study, we would be approved to continue in the adoption process. That paperwork was merely checking into whether we would be suitable for adoption. Now, once we started applying to agencies to be chosen by a prospective birth mother, another trail of paperwork commenced.
We completed applications, signed client agreements, and reviewed and approved payment plans, just to name a few. The applications for an agency working to match our family with a potential birth mother were much more specific to the desires we had for the child that would be placed in our home, the type of openness we would welcome in our adoption, the budget we discussed for adoption fees, and a whole slew of questions identifying each and every aspect of our lives from the big events to the smallest detail. These applications not only helped the agency know who we would be best suited to parent, but also aided in the creation of our profile book to show prospective birth mothers. The more detail we could provide, the easier a birth mother’s decision would be to connect with specifics of our family.
In the event that any of the paperwork you complete expires (background checks and home studies have expiration dates) or your family experiences a change that was not reflected in your original paperwork (birth, death, job change, etc.), then forms will need to be resubmitted with updated information. This has also happened to us because we gave birth to a daughter since we originally started our adoption process, I changed jobs, and we bought a minivan (which doesn’t seem significant but changes our financial details). We have learned, sometimes the hard way, to make sure we stay on top of any changes or specific dates that each of our forms represents so that we are always ready and approved to be considered for a situation that arises.
Paperwork is no fun. It brought no joy to us to sit at our kitchen table night after night as we began this process to complete what seemed like endless mounds of papers, some asking the same questions over and over. However, when we changed our perspective to see that one day we would look back at this seemingly daunting task of muddling through paperwork and be so grateful for the journey it began for us, we can see ink-stained glimmers of hope on those many, many pages.
November is National Adoption Month, and this year’s theme is “Youth Voices: Why Family Matters.” While the history of this month has always focused on spreading awareness about adoption and advocating for permanent homes for children in foster care, this year, we’d like to take it a step further. A strong foundation for success begins at home. But, as you may already know, older children —especially teenagers — in foster care are less likely to be adopted and more likely than their peers to age out of the system with few, if any, supportive connections. Without a helping hand, many of them struggle to reach their full potential. We know that foster care and adoption might not be right for you. That’s okay. You don’t have to go out and make an adoption plan as soon as you’re done reading this article. But, even if you don’t have a close connection to adoption or if you’re only just now considering your options for building a family, there are countless ways that you can make an impact. Every voice matters. So why not use yours to make a difference? Here are three tangible ways that you can uplift adoptees, reach out to youth in foster care and participate in this year’s National Adoption Month.
A majority of children in foster care still have parents or other family members. For them, foster care is intended as a temporary solution to a difficult situation. This means that one day, if the proper steps are taken, they can finally be reunited with their biological family. On the other hand, there are children whose only hope of a permanent home is through adoption. While adopting a child from foster care is an amazing opportunity — and we certainly encourage you to consider it! — there are a number of other ways that you can help if you’re not ready to be a parent just yet. For instance, you might consider becoming a mentor or a tutor for a child in foster care. You can find local mentoring opportunities in your area through a foster care organization, or you can reach out to some great programs like Big Brothers Big Sisters and Foster Care to Success. If you’d like to help support reunification, become a respite care provider. You could provide the temporary relief that parents or caregivers in need of support are looking for. If you’re looking for more ideas, reach out to a local foster care organization. You can offer to donate needed materials (like school supplies), start a fundraiser or donate your time in other ways. There are tons of opportunities to help, so don’t be afraid to get creative!
Your support means the world to a child. It’s also the key to their future successes and well‐being. But, more often than not, it’s hard for a child to know when they can — and should — reach out for help. That’s why it’s up to you to take the initiative. If it’s been some time since their adoption, use this month as an opportunity to open up a conversation about adoption. Your child might have a new perspective that you haven’t heard yet or a story that they’re ready to discuss. If you’ve adopted a child from foster care or if you’ve recently became a mentor, it may be harder to get a child to be comfortable talking. But, it’s not impossible. Remind them that your door is always open when and if they need someone to talk to. It will take some time, but you can create the environment that they need to thrive in. We know it’s hard, but try not to get discouraged if you don’t see change as quickly as you hoped. No matter how long it takes, finding the time to really listen to what your child has to say is just as important for them as it is for you.
What does National Adoption Month mean to you? How do you feel when you hear the word family? If you have a personal experience with foster care or adoption, consider sharing how this experience has touched your life and shaped you into the person you are today. Reading the experience of someone who has lived through it can make a bigger difference than you might think. It’s also a phenomenal way to strike a chord with the lives of children in foster care right now. So, take the theme of this month into your own hands, and don’t hesitate to put yourself out there! You story could create the change a child needs to see in their own life. Ready to get started? There are so many ways that you can make a difference today. Remember to spread the word on social media about National Adoption Month and take the time to get involved in local events and activities all month long.
