How Do Children Feel About Open Adoption?
Open adoption can be beautiful, and your child can grow up to be happy and loved, with everything you dream of for them.
Read on to learn how adoptees feel about open adoption and the benefits that come from open adoption or talk to an adoption professional today by filling out our form or calling 1-800-ADOPTION.
How Does Open Adoption Affect the Child?
Open Adoption Means Love from Two Sets of Parents
As an adoptee in an open adoption, you can have the reassurance that you are being raised by the parents that your birth parents chose for you, and you can also be certain that you were placed for adoption out of an abundance of love.
Open Adoption Means Knowing Your Roots
Children who are placed for open adoption get to know their heritage and the history of their birth family, which can help children form their identity and embrace cultural heritage and traditions.
Open Adoption Means Adoptees Can Hear the Story of their Birth
Adoption often used to mean that a part of a child’s past was hidden from them in closed adoptions. In open adoptions, adoptees can not only hear the story of their birth, but they may even be able to hear the story of their birth parents’ choice to place them for adoption and the story of how their adoptive family became their family.
This means that children can understand why they were placed for adoption, and that their story can be normalized from the time that they are born, without surprises. This can help older children avoid confusion or “why” questions from going unanswered.
Take it from adoptees like Diana:
"[My birth parents] wanted a different life for themselves and for me. They made an incredibly tough call, but it opened up a lot of opportunities for all of us, and that’s something I’ve always respected."
If you’ve wondered, “How do adopted children feel about their biological parents?” you can see from Diana’s answers that in open adoptions, adopted children can positively understand their adoption, and recognize the bravery that comes with placing a child for adoption.
Open Adoption Means Never Wondering About Your Birth Parents
Open adoption means that you can stay in contact with your birth parents as an adoptee. This means you will never wonder about what your birth mom’s personality is, or wonder whether your birth parents are doing well, instead, you can get updates and hear from your birth parents.
Instead, as an adoptee you can build a fulfilling relationship and get updates from your birth parents.
How do adopted children feel about adoption?
Adoptees may feel different ways about their adoption depending on the circumstances of their adoption and their lives. Some of these factors include:
- Openness of adoption (children tend to cope better in open adoptions)
- Age and circumstances of adoption (private infant adoption vs. foster care adoption vs. international adoption)
- Their relationships with both their birth parents and their adoptive parents
- Their knowledge of their adoption and whether it was kept a secret from them
While many factors can influence a child’s thoughts and feelings about adoption in general, open adoption has become standard in recent years because of the benefits to adoptees, and placing children for adoption continues to be a positive step for women who are unable to parent.
Fill out our quick form to get help from an open adoption specialist.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does open adoption affect the child?
Parents who choose adoption are making a brave choice and want to give their children a beautiful life. Adoption can mean that a child has the opportunities and life that their birth parents dream of for them. Open adoption means that they can have questions answered about their heritage and the story of their adoption, and will be able to get updates on their birth parents and family health history.
What impact does an open adoption have on adoptees' life satisfaction?
Open adoption can increase adoptee life satisfaction compared to closed adoption. While closed adoption used to be common, open adoption has been shown to have many positive effects on adoptees. Adoptees can get answers to questions they may have about their heritage and medical history, and can gain a positive connection with parents who chose to place them for adoption out of love.
Is open adoption confusing for kids?
Open adoption can reduce confusion and provide clarity and understanding for children who are placed for adoption. Children who are placed for adoption commonly have questions about their heritage, the story of their birth parents, their health history, and why they were placed for adoption.
Open adoption not only allows children to get answers, but they can often get answers directly from their birth parents, which can mean they can gain a better understanding and can often understand that they were placed for adoption out of an abundance of love when parenting wasn’t possible.
Are open adoptions better for the child?
Open adoptions have been shown to have positive benefits overall compared to closed adoptions, but every situation is different. As a birth parent, it is in your power to weigh these considerations and choose the best type of adoption for your situation.
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