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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 »

The Home Study- What, When and Why

What do you think of when you hear the words “home study?” What is your picture of the person who comes to your house to complete a “home study?” The home study process can be anxiety producing, particularly if you picture a social worker from the 1960s wearing orthopedic shoes and reading glasses. Home studies … more »

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 »

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 »

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 »

40 Weeks and a Circle of Support

Everyone knows that pregnancy lasts for nine months. It’s divided into three trimesters, each with three months in it. Everyone knows that pregnancy lasts for nine months. Unless you’re pregnant and waiting to deliver. Then you remember it’s forty weeks from conception to delivery. And if the due date for the blessed event is set … 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 »

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 »