Should I Have an Open Adoption?

 Posted on January 23, 2023 in Divorce

Adopting a child can be a beautiful way to expand your family. However, it is also a big decision with many factors to consider, including whether or not you should have an open adoption. Open adoptions allow adopted children to stay in contact with their birth families and foster a meaningful relationship throughout their lives. Open adoptions can be greatly beneficial to the parents and the adopted child, but they can also bring up complex emotions for everyone involved.

Evaluating the Pros and Cons of an Open Adoption

When you bring an adopted child into your family, there are seemingly countless personal, emotional, legal, and financial matters to contend with. Will my child fit in with our family? How do I handle the legal process of adoption? How can I make my child feel safe and secure? Should we have an open adoption?

There are many pros and cons associated with an open adoption. Having ongoing contact with their birth family gives the adopted child an important opportunity to remain involved in his or her birth parent(s) lives. The child gains additional resources including emotional guidance, cultural insight, and medical information if needed. Keeping the birth family in the picture also allows the adoptive parents to maintain a healthy relationship with the birth parents. This helps create a stronger bond between the families, which leads to more stability for the adopted child.

On the other hand, there are some potential drawbacks associated with open adoptions. Inevitably, the increased contact with both sets of parents may lead to uncomfortable conversations or situations where someone’s feelings get hurt. The adoptive parents and birth parents may disagree on child-related issues like education, discipline, or religious upbringing.

Unfortunately, some birth parents may also be less than ideal role models in the adopted child's life. For example, an adopted parent may have given up a child for adoption because the parent has a substance abuse problem or criminal past.

Making the Decision

Ultimately, deciding whether or not to have an open adoption is entirely up to you. With that said, it's important to consider the potential pros and cons of open adoptions before making a decision. Talk with your partner, adoptive counselor or social worker to help you make an informed decision.

Contact a Joliet Adoption Lawyer

Adopting a child should be an exciting journey filled with love and support — whatever adoption path you choose. For help managing the legal process of adoption, contact the skilled Plainfield family law attorneys Law Offices of Tedone and Morton, P.C.. Call 815-666-1285 for a free consultation.

Source:

https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/openadoption.pdf