Ways for Birth Mothers to Celebrate National Adoption Month
If you are a birth mother, chances are you have learned a bit about the adoption process. You likely know more than most people. That’s why you can make celebrating National Adoption Month the absolute best experience. You get that there is so much hard work involved from so many different different groups of people.
Here are some ideas of where to start:
How can I Recognize the Most Important Groups in the Adoption Process?
The three major groups most directly involved with the adoption process are very important. In your case, there’s you first, the birth mother, and the loved ones close to you. Then, there is also your child’s adoptive family and their connections. Finally, as the middle ground, there is the adoption agency that helped work everything out for all parties involved.
Birth mothers go through a lot and placing your child for adoption isn’t the easiest, so recognizing your own struggles and the struggles of other birth mothers is important. Adoptive families prepare quite a bit to welcome a new person into their lives and take care of them, so they also deserve plenty of credit. Then, there are adoption agencies like Adoption Choices of Colorado that have hardworking staff members. Those staff members spend tireless hours and days working to make everything smooth for you, your child, and the adoptive family.
Celebrating the amazing sacrifices of all three of these major groups in the adoption process is the first part of appreciating what is really behind the meaning of National Adoption Month. If you want to show your gratitude, letters of thanks can really go a long way and make someone’s day!
Should I Tell My Child about the Day of Their Adoption?
As a birth mother, you have a unique perspective. You can absolutely tell your child all about when they were placed for adoption. It can be a happy experience about how much you loved them and wanted to provide them with a great life. In turn, you may also wish to encourage your child’s adoptive family to share their perspective on the positives of adoption.
How can I De-stigmatize the Adoption Process?
Unfortunately, adoption can often still come with negative connotations, despite many happy success stories. You are welcome to actively campaign for the positives of adoption during National Adoption Month and even beyond. Many people post about their stories on social media, encouraging others to not be afraid of the adoption process. You can also donate to an adoption agency of your choosing or find other ways to create awareness.
How can I Make My Child Feel Special during this Time?
It’s really important to focus on who your child is and who they have become over time. However, as a birth mother, it is also important to celebrate their culture and heritage. It can sometimes be very easy to bulldoze over the past, but important traditions can still be recognized. If your child grew up celebrating the same traditions with their adoptive family that you celebrate, consider also teaching your child about other concepts from other nations. Not every adoptee may have the cultural experience that their birth mother intended for them, so helping your child to recognize that is very important.
There’s a variety of adoptive experiences out there. There’s also nothing wrong with making the holidays and traditions you already share with your child the best that they can be.
What Happens when National Adoption Month is Over?
Well, the idea is that adoption is important all of the time. Special attention is called to it during the month of November, but it’s still relevant all year long. Many people don’t think about adoption until they need to. Other birth mothers like you are often overwhelmed, scared, and frightened. By going out every day and quelling those fears, you could be doing other members of the adoption triad a huge favor. You went through the adoption process and can now help other birth mothers go through the same process with ease. Just because a special month ends doesn’t mean that you should stop recognizing just how amazing adoption can be.
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: Nathan Dyer is a university student majoring in Communication Arts with a radio/TV/film focus. He enjoys writing professionally and dealing with hands-on problems in real-world scenarios. Among his hobbies is hiking, which always encourages him to explore new places. He looks forward to crafting written materials in the future that serve to help people from all walks of life.
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!