Adoption is a rewarding and life changing experience. Choosing adoption as a way to add to a family unit can be a wonderful experience. One important decision that prospective adoptive parents must face is whether to do a closed adoption with no contact with the birth parents and limited access to records about the adoptee or open adoptions with the opportunity to have a relationship. There are many benefits to choosing an open adoption especially in today's society. These benefits include knowing the adoptee's medical history, the back ground of the birth family, and establishing a bond with the birth parents.
When an adoptive family chooses to embark on the open adoption one of the benefits to choosing this route is that the medical history of the birth mother and her family is available to the adoptive parents. They are able to find out whether or not there are any diseases that are prevalent in the immediate or distant family, if there were any complications with previous births whether it be the birth mother herself or the other women in her family. The adoptive parents are able to ask questions and learn about what to expect as possible health problems that might arise in their child's future. This can provide a peace of mind for the adoptive parents because they will be better prepared to deal with any medical problems that may arise if they are aware that they might become an issue.
Another benefit to choosing open adoption is that the adoptive family has access to the background and upbringing of the birth mother, her siblings, and her parents. They will become aware of the family relationship and have information about the life history of their child's birth mother to pass along someday if they choose. Having the birth mother's family background provides a link to the past that in time will be invaluable to the adoptive family.
Being able to establish a bond with the birth mother is another important benefit to having an open adoption. This will allow both the birth mother and the adoptive parents to learn about each other and to understand such things as; the birth mother's reason for choosing to give her child up for adoption, why she choose the adoptive parents and what she hopes will be her child's future with the couple. The involvement in each others lives will give both parties the option to decide on visitation once the child is adopted and how much contact the adoptive parents would like with the birth mother once they take the child home. The birth mother will also have an understanding of the process after the child is taken into the adoptive parents' custody and she will have gotten to know the adoptive parents on an intimate level which could ease her fears about her child going to another family.
There are many benefits to choosing an open adoption. The medical history and background is available to the birth parents which will give the birth parents the knowledge of any medical problems that might arise in their child's future and to be better prepared to deal with them. The process allows the adoptive parents to learn about the birth family and for the birth family to learn about the people that will be adopting the baby. Finally, the process of an open adoption allows the birth mother and adoptive parents to bond and share time together before the baby arrives, and allows information to be shared between both parties as to what is expected once the baby has been adopted. Adoption provides families with a chance to share their love with a child when they may not have otherwise been able to, and it allows parents to bring another life into their family and grow together. Open adoption is as a whole is a beneficial choice for both the birth mother and the adoptive parents.
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 | Adopted children may not know (or be told) much about their birth parents. The part of identity development that has its roots in family history, tradition and genetics remains unknown. |
Although there's a disturbing trend toward premature puberty among children born in America, this trend is even more pronounced in children who are adopted from foreign countries. |
Although self identity development in adopted children can be an overwhelming concern, equipping yourself with the knowledge and skills necessary to help foster your adopted child's identity development is one of the most important steps that you can take toward creating a good life for your child. |
