| indiana adoption

Celebrating Birth Families

Where’s the joy? Where’s the excitement? When a new baby comes home, the baby is welcomed with banners, balloons, visitors, and gifts. In adoption, the adoptive family is swamped with people wanting to visit, hold the new baby and offer congratulations. But when a woman who has placed her baby for adoption returns home from … more »

Rights and Responsibilities for Adoptive Parents

Adoption is an emotionally charged experience. No matter if you come to adoption from infertility or because of a faith calling, it involves the lives of not just the child, but the lives of the child’s birth family and extended family. Adoption has an impact on the siblings the child may have in either the biological … more »

Rights and Responsibilities for Expectant Mothers

So many times in adoption, all the focus is on the adopting parents. People share their infertility stories or their faith commitment on social media and with friends and families. Women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy are seen as simply the way for the adopting parents to get their baby. It’s hard to get in the … more »

Social Media and Open Adoption

Social media is both a blessing and a curse. Social media can bring bring people together or tear them apart. The ways in which people have communicated over the years has changed, and continues to change. What does this have to do with an open adoption? What does it NOT have to do with open … more »

Building the Relationship & Learning to Listen

Since it can’t be said often enough, we will say it again. Open adoption is a relationship. A key to making any relationship go the distance is communication. The typically overlooked part of communication that sometimes needs tweaking is listening. When conversations get tense, the go to mental response is usually defense. While the other … more »

Summer Visits for Open Adoptions

Summer time. It’s that season in which we all want to kick back, take in the long hours of sunlight, and relax. It’s also a great season to connect with old friends and keep relationships fresh. This is especially true for families in which adoption is a part of the mix. Schedules tend to be … more »

The Math of Relationships

Relationships. Are good relationships a math equation? When both sides give 50 percent effort to making the relationship work, it must be a good relationship because 50 + 50 = 100. Oh, just meet me halfway! That’s all I’m asking of you, right? Realistically…good relationships are not math equations. Why not? There are simply too many variables. Time, energy, control, desire, needs, … more »

What do you think when you hear the word adoption?

Adoption is one of those topics that everyone—yes, everyone—seems to have an opinion and story to share. There are the people who know and want to share adoption horror stories. You’ve probably heard the stories of expectant parents who scam desperate couples out of tens thousands of dollars. Or the stories of adoptees who become … more »

Open Adoption: For Better, For Worse

Defining what an “open adoption” is can be tricky. It’s that little word “open” that seems to cause all the confusion. Does open mean both adoptive and birth parents share the care taking responsibilities of the child? Does it mean the birth family comes to all the child’s events—soccer games, birthday parties, and dance recitals? … more »

Livin’ on a Prayer

It’s quite common to hear people voicing their prayers, asking for prayers, and sending thoughts and prayers. Whether it’s from the pulpit of a church or a shared post on Facebook, it seems as though prayer is pervading every part of our lives. Those associated with the world of adoption hear prayer requests all the … more »