The Pros and Cons of Semi-Open Adoption in Colorado
When deciding on the type of adoption you want for yourself and your child, you have many options. Closed adoption offers emotional closure and privacy, while open adoption gives you a choice and an emotional attachment. If you are a birth mother looking for an option that meets your needs at both ends, then Adoption Choices of Colorado wants to recommend you read up on the pros and cons of semi-open adoption in Colorado. When we dedicate ourselves to helping a birth mother, we take on the important task of providing you with all the information you need to make an informed decision about your adoption process.
Semi-open adoption is a great way to take advantage of everything the adoption process has to offer you. It allows you to maintain a healthy emotional distance from the adoption while still giving you the option to communicate in some form. Beyond this, it also lets you choose the adoptive family of your child while remaining anonymous to them and your child in the long run. However, this will limit communication, and you may not be able to form as strong a relationship with your child as you could otherwise, so there are drawbacks to the process as well. Without any further introduction, here are some of the pros and cons of semi-open adoption in Colorado.
If you need adoption help now, please call or text us at 303-670-4673 (HOPE) or visit us at Adoption Choices of Colorado.
The Pros of Semi-Open Adoption in Colorado
If you are discussing semi-open adoption, there are a lot of benefits to go over. Choosing an adoption type that meets your needs as a birth mother is really important, and semi-open adoption could cover many of those needs. Birth mothers seeking privacy and connection at the same time will be thrilled with everything that semi-open adoption has to offer, including:
- Privacy and Anonymity. One of the primary benefits you’ll find when reading about semi-open adoption is the privacy of the adoption process. When having a semi-open adoption, all information about you is kept confidential and private so that you can maintain as much privacy as you’d like. Similarly, for the adoptive family, all identifying information is removed from the materials shown to the birth mother, creating a process that places a healthy barrier between the involved parties for maximum emotional comfort.
- Attachment at a distance. Semi-open adoption provides birth mothers looking for a lesser level of emotional investment a great advantage over the other types of adoption. Birth mothers can maintain communication with both the adoptive family and their child through a mediated adoption agency (such as Adoption Choices of Colorado) that keeps the communication private. This allows birth mothers to connect with the adoptive family both before and after the adoption is finalized while still giving them a level of emotional detachment from the situation if that’s what they need.
- Freedom to Choose. One key benefit that semi-open adoption has for birth mothers wanting a level of control over their adoption process is that it lets them select an adoptive family for their child. All identifying information about the family is removed. However, birth mothers can still learn about an adoptive family’s values and the household they have prepared for a child waiting to be adopted.
The Cons of Semi-Open Adoption in Colorado
Talking about the pros and cons of semi-open adoption in Colorado does bring up some of the downsides of this type of adoption. In some capacity, semi-open adoption may leave you wanting more out of the adoption process as compared to the opposite ends of the spectrum in closed and open adoptions. The following may some be concerns you might have about the semi-open adoption process:
- Providing a Permanent Middle Ground. If you are a birth mother, be sure to give your adoption process a lot of thought before making a decision. Semi-open adoption locks you into a permanent halfway point of giving you communication in a limited way. If you think you’ll want complete emotional separation after the adoption process, or if you think you’d like to maintain a more personal relationship with your child and adoptive family, then consider an alternative.
- Leaving You Unfulfilled. Again, it’s important to be certain that you want this type of adoption for you and your child. You may not benefit from having such a limited and private role in your child’s life, and your child may not benefit as well if they end up wanting a more personal relationship with their birth mother in the future. This is something to keep in mind when thinking about your post-adoption life.
How to get a Semi-Open Adoption in Colorado
If you have read the pros and cons of semi-open adoption in Colorado and you find yourself wanting more information, then Adoption Choices of Colorado wants to reach out and help you. And if you feel you are ready to make a decision and start working on your adoption process today, then Adoption Choices of Colorado can help you get started. Contact us today, and we can get started creating your personalized adoption plan with a semi-open adoption or any other type.
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: Josh Drogemuller is a Senior at Grand Valley State University and has interests in writing and digital studies. A relative newcomer to the field of professional writing, Josh has spent the last eight years of his educational career honing his skills on the page. Josh is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Writing.
Living in the Midwest, Josh looks forward to long baseball games and longer sentences.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!