Why Open Adoption?

Sometimes people ask us why we choose open adoption. There are several reasons that is was right for us. First, we wanted to have the experience of having a newborn baby at least once. We were able to see both of our girls in the hospital and take them home from the hospital at 2 days old and 6 days old. This would not of been possible with international adoption.

The second reason was adoptive parent requirements. International adoption requirements vary by country and also by agency. We did not meet the requirements for many countries as we were married less than a year when we started the process. Also, we did not have the ability to travel for extended stays, which further reduced the countries availble for us.

The last reason is we like the fact that we are able to tell our children about their birthparents. What they were like, do they look like them, the sacrifices they made, etc. We love their birthparents! We wanted to be able to share pictures of their birthparents with them, specifically of them holding them. We also like the fact that we were able to get better medical backgrounds and updates. A side benefit that we have found is that we have somethings in common with them. Maybe it is the long dark hair, a favorite subject in school, a vocation, hobbies, etc.

Is open adoption for everyone? Probably not. It can be a rollercoaster of emotions. Sometimes things change and the relationship changes for either or both sides. Would we do it again? Absolutely YES!