Thinking about an addition to your family? Consider adoption. Adoption is a beautiful way to give someone else life while beginning a new season of your own. Adoption can be scary and overwhelming; the best place to start is to understand the fundamentals. Ayers Family Law is here to help you throughout the whole journey.
To begin, there are two different types of adoption. It is important to understand the differences from the start, so that you and your family can set expectations and decide what’s best for you.
Open Adoption is the first type of adoption to consider. Open adoption allows for a dialogue between the biological parents and the adoptive family. Adoptive parents, at their discretion, can interact with the biological parents of their child as much or as little as desired. Some families choose to limit this to a meeting once the children has turned 18 and can make the decision for themselves, while others will include the biological parents in the child-rearing process. This can range from sending school pictures of the child to including the biological parent in life events like birthdays.
This decision, again, is entirely up to what is best for your family. Some children will want and need the knowledge of where they biologically came from, while others would prefer life to exist as is. The important thing to remember about open adoption is that you, as the adoptive parent, will retain sole authority of the child. Open adoption merely gives you the option of knowing and including the birth parents in the process if you desire.
Closed Adoption is a less common type of adoption. A closed or “secretive” adoption completely seals and protects the identity of the biological parent. This is a good option if you’d prefer the role of solitary parental figure(s). There are important questions to ask when considering a closed adoption regarding health history and cultural background. Things such as family medical records and genetic conditions are important to make sure that you have access to, as these issues will help you properly raise your child. Should you decide to go with closed adoption, make sure to get all the information first.
There are many more questions to ask and options to consider as you and your family embark on your adoptive journey. Deciding between open and closed adoption is just the beginning, but it is an important step nonetheless. Here at Ayers Family Law, we’re devoted to the tenets of adoption. Let us help you complete your household.
