| semi-open adoption

I HEREBY RESOLVE…

So here it is, another new year. Welcome to 2019! For almost half of Americans, making a resolution for the new year is a part of the tradition of the holiday. These generally are self-improvement based…lose weight, add a fitness routine, improve personal finances, or stop smoking. Do these resolutions work? Do those Americans who … more »

My heart is full.

Today I watched the beginning of a miracle. Working in adoption is hard. It’s filled with joy, but it’s also filled with grief and brokenness. So much of the work done in adoption is done prior to the delivery of the baby. It’s careful consideration on the part of the expectant mother. It’s looking at … more »

A Four-Letter Word that Has No Place in Adoption

How careful are you in the words that you use? How careful are the people around you in the words they choose? Are there any words or phrases that make you uncomfortable? That are overused until they lose their meaning? There are many words used when talking about adoption. There are words that describe the … more »

Priorities: Getting Out What You Put In

What are the key ingredients to making an open adoption actually be an open adoption? Aren’t open adoptions just open because birth parents and adoptive parents agree that the relationship is an open one, share phone numbers and have an occasional visit? Let’s return to the basics. It’s often been said that open adoption is … more »

Words Matter: Telling Your Child’s Story

As a society, we tend to throw around words that then become labels. Words serve as codes and conjure pictures in our minds. These pictures then shape our attitudes. Attitudes become beliefs. And these beliefs are what we pass on to our children. Here at ASC we have long advocated for the use of positive … 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 »

Agency or Attorney?

Adoption is one of those topics about which everyone seems to have an opinion or story. If you mention that you are thinking about becoming an adoptive parent, you will likely hear those opinions or stories, whether you want to or not. Within that conversation, there is also a good chance you will hear the … more »

Is visitation after an adoption a good idea?

Once you start exploring the idea of adoption, you begin to face lots of decisions. One of those decisions is whether or not to ask for visits with your child after the placement is done and baby is home with the adopting mommy and daddy. And like most things in adoption, there is no one … more »

The Middle of the Adoption Process

Relinquishing a child for adoption is an emotional experience, with stages of grief that are experienced differently amongst birth mothers. It’s normal to have doubts in the middle of the process, and feelings stemming from your doubts are normal and shouldn’t be viewed negatively. Several organizations and support services exist to help birth mothers process … more »