Colorado Open Adoption Pros and Cons
If you’re pregnant, need help, and looking into adoption options, you may have already learned there are different kinds of infant adoption plans available to you in Colorado. Things have come a long way since the early days when people treated adoption like a shameful secret. It used to be common to not even tell adoptees that they were adopted.
Today things are very different. Most adoptions have some level of openness. Birth mothers can choose their baby’s adoptive family and form a relationship with them. Adoptees and adoptive families no longer have to suffer through incomplete or non-existent medical histories; and adoptees don’t need to search for their roots.
Most adoption professionals agree that open adoptions are usually the most beneficial type of adoption for everyone in the adoption triad. But Adoption Choices of Colorado is among the adoption agencies in Colorado that still offer closed adoption because, in some cases, a closed adoption is the best choice.
What are some Benefits of Open Adoption for Birth Mothers?
Open adoption is the most popular type of adoption in Colorado. But despite its popularity, open adoption still has both pros and cons. Under most circumstances, the benefits of open adoption outweigh the drawbacks.
- In an open adoption, you get to choose your baby’s adoptive family. Adoption Choices of Colorado does comprehensive background checks on all prospective adoptive parents to ensure they will provide a safe, nurturing home for your baby. We then give you information, including pictures and letters, from those potential adoptive families. You have complete control over the decision of who will raise your baby. Often knowing your baby is being raised in a nurturing home, chosen by you, provides you with comfort post-adoption.
- You can develop a relationship with your child. With open adoption, you have the option to receive photos of your child and updates as he or she grows. If both parties want it, you could even build a relationship with your child directly. Receiving regular updates, or even checking in directly with her child, allows a birth mother to see her child thriving. Seeing your child happy and healthy can be reassuring if you’re experiencing feelings of grief and loss post-adoption.
- When your child has questions about family history or the adoption process, with open adoption, you can be there to answer them. Most adoptees have questions as they grow up. They might be curious about their birth father, ancestral heritage, genetic traits, or why they were placed for adoption. With an open adoption, you have the opportunity to answer your child’s questions about his or her adoption story yourself. You can explain why and how you made the brave and loving choice to place him or her for adoption.
If Open Adoption is so Beneficial, What are the Disadvantages?
When looking at open adoption pros and cons, it’s important to remember that every adoption story is unique. For people in some situations, open adoption is not the best choice.
- You have less privacy in an open adoption. A birth mother concerned for her own safety or the safety of her baby, may not want an open adoption. A closed adoption is the best way to make sure your child is safe from any dangerous people or circumstances in your life. Even if safety isn’t a concern, you may not want to share your personal information with the adoptive family and that’s okay! A semi-open or closed adoption could be a better choice for you.
- Some birth mothers may find it harder to find closure with ongoing communication between themselves and their child’s adoptive family. If you know you do not want contact, an open adoption is not a good option for you. For some birth mothers, a fresh start and a closed door is a better pathway toward healing.
- Open adoption can cause boundary issues. Boundary issues can be anything from the adoptive family deciding they want more (or less) contact to the birth mother disagreeing with their parenting choices. Sometimes the uniqueness of these relationships can cause misunderstandings or overstepping of boundaries. Often these kinds of problems can be solved by open communication. But, if you aren’t interested in the kind of relationship the adoptive family is hoping for, it can cause strain in the relationship.
How do the Pros and Cons of Open Adoption Impact the Adoptee?
Unless safety is a factor, most Colorado adoption professionals agree that open adoption is the most beneficial choice for adoptees. Open adoption gives kids a better understanding of their own history, a wider network of family support, a better understanding of themselves, and access to medical history information. Adoptees in closed adoptions often describe a “missing piece” in their lives. But with some level of openness in their adoptions, adoptees express higher self-esteem and confidence in their own identities.
Whether you’re a teen or an adult, if you’re an expectant mother looking for pregnancy help or adoption options, Adoption Choices of Colorado can help. Even if you’re in crisis right now, you won’t always be. Your adoption caseworker can review all of our adoption options with you to help you make the best plan for yourself and your baby.
Adoption Choices of Colorado offers multiple adoption options with varying levels of openness. If you are interested in learning more about adoption in Colorado or need pregnancy help, contact us to get started.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Meet the Author: After graduating from University of Michigan with a degree in Education, majoring in English and Social Sciences, Brianne Davis has spent her adult life as an educator; first in the public schools, later through martial arts. Her ability to convey difficult concepts, navigate varied learning styles, and always keep it interesting defined her reputation as an impactful instructor. Many of her early published blogs centered on the goal of helping other instructors effectively teach children for whom learning is a struggle. Once an empty nester, she committed to sitting in traffic less and writing more. With those goals in mind, she, along with her husband and dogs, packed up, sold their family home, and moved to the banks of the Columbia River in Central Washington’s wine country, where the pace of life is slower and the sun shines brighter. Realizing in our modern age, more of us turn to the internet for information than ever before, Brianne, now dedicates her time to educating others through blog writing.
As a life-long information junkie, Brianne enjoys taking deep dives into new topics, then condensing them in an interesting way to convey valuable information in a relatively short amount of space. Once her career, Brazilian jiu jitsu and mixed martial arts remain hobbies, along with boating, reading and traveling.