I didn’t choose adoption. I always said we might adopt when the kids were older, but I don’t really think I ever truly believed that statement would be realized. It was simply one of those “if only” or “maybe when the time is right” statements. I didn’t choose adoption, but adoption chose me before the time was right. The “if only” moment hit us like a freight train when a relative asked us to adopt the day my daughter was born. Almost three years have passed and we have adopted once more since then, and I now cannot imagine having never taken this amazing journey. Now an adoption advocate and writer, adoption is a part of who I am, and the love I have for it is abounding.
One of the foremost reasons that I love adoption is because of its ability to provide love exponentially. Growing up, the examples of adoption I had seen in the media had always been closed adoptions. The idea to close the door to a birth family never made sense to me, even as a child. It may have been because my own grandmother was adopted and spent her life without information about her own birth family. She had a few names and dates but struggled with her identity. While closed adoption is the only option in some cases such as birth parent preference or for security reasons, it felt like an option for my family. I saw how much my grandmother longed to reunite and have the potential for love from her biological family.
I love adoption because it no longer just creates new families but grows families. My son and daughter have two mothers and two fathers. They have countless siblings, aunts, uncles, and double the grandparents. While it may seem “abnormal” in some social circles, my kids adore their family. While they have different relationships with each member, they know families come in many forms. Our family has grown and continues to remain open. Why would we choose to take that opportunity for love from them and the opportunity for them to know from where they came. They not only know they have a birth family, they also know that they are overwhelmingly loved.
Adoption creates families, grows families, and joins families. I love adoption because it changed the entire course of our lives. It finds families for children. It also gives birth parents the opportunity to place their children in a loving home when they are not able to parent. The rising popularity and the ability for birth parents to choose openness in adoption has transformed adoption for the better. Adoption continues to be a life-giving option for all members of the adoption triad.
If you are unexpectedly pregnant, please consider adoption. Visit Adoption.com to view adoption profiles from hopeful adoptive parents. Visit Adoption.com/unplanned-pregnancy to find guidance with your unplanned pregnancy.
