Benefits of Adoption

Whenever unsure mothers put up their own children for adoption, it can be a very heart wrenching problem. Usually because they are trusting that these strangers will give their children a better future than what they could possibly provide, but there is another option. This other option is an open adoption, where the birth parents get to keep in contact with the adoptive family and their child. Open adoption is the best option because of these important reasons; the parent gets to continue the relationship with the child, share medical records on the family which can benefit the adoptive family, reduced guilt over making such a difficult decision like putting a child up for adoption, and allows the child to build confidence about themself whenever asking such questions like “where am I from”.

A benefit of an open adoption is the relationship between the birth parent(s) and the child. In most cases for a normal adoption the connection between the child and birth parent(s) is severed in some fashion and there is no relationship that develops between them. “Open adoption typically allows for the child and birth parents to maintain some form of contact. While no two open adoptions look the same, this contact often allows for the child and birth parents to continue to maintain and grow their relationship even though placement has occurred” (adoption.org). This continued relationship is only allowed through an open adoption, which in most cases creates a strong relationship between the child and the birth parent(s). This is one of the great benefits of an open adoption and leads to many other benefits stemming from this relationship.

From this continued relationship with the birth parent and their child a possible relationship between the adoptive parents and the birth parent(s) can be formed. From this relationship between both sets of parents of the child an ample amount of information can be shared, such as family medical records that could help with the future diagnosis of a disease or sickness in the child that the adoptive parent(s) would have no clue where it originated from. If this information is shared early enough it can lead to proper treatment or prevention of such issues; for example if the birth parent side of the family has a family history of depression or ADHD it can be caught early with that knowledge. “After a momentary panic, I was very thankful that we had agreed to an open adoption. I had access to both parents for all of these questions, as they were just a phone call away. My daughter had a food allergy we were immediately able to recognize by knowing this history.” (adoption.org) These are the words of an actual parent that experienced the benefits of an open adoption first hand.

Another great benefit from being able to forge a relationship between the birth parent and adopted child is the feeling of reduced guilt over their choice. Whenever a new parent puts their child up for adoption it is typically in the hopes that they will find a better life than what could be provided to them. What follows after such a life changing choice is this feeling of overwhelming guilt that the birth parent had essentially just abandoned their new child, but this feeling can be reduced as one of the major benefits of an open adoption.”It helps diminish angst and permits grieving, and therefore increases their comfort levels with their decisions; and for adoptive parents, it eases personal insecurities while establishing a steady stream of information for their children and for making critical parenting decisions” (Pertman), by having even just this amount of control and participation in their child’s life it will tremendously ease the guilt from their earlier choice.

Stemming from this increased influence over their child’s life, the birth parent(s) can answer any question they have about their heritage which can build self confidence in the child. Whenever a child is little they will typically have a question for their parents, such as “Where Am I From?” or “Who Am I?”. With the child being able to readily ask these questions to both their adoptive parent(s) and their birth parent(s) it will build confidence in the child and possibly grow to a sense of pride that the child will carry because of knowing the answer to these intense questions. “An open adoption eliminates the adoptees’ need to search for their biological parents. With access to their birth parents, children can gain insight and ask questions regarding their roots and identity.” (afth.org)

There is always downsides to a wonderful idea and in such a realistic scenario there is problems or counters to the idea of open to adoption. Some would say that the emotions of the adoptive parents should be taken into consideration. It is not uncommon for the parents to have a sense of uncertainty when it comes to an open adoption, “Some problems derive from the specific personalities or situations of those involved, but many are characteristic of various phases of openness, as everyone tries to deal with emotional uncertainty and, if direct contact is included, to determine their boundaries and sort out their evolving roles” (Pertman). Despite these counters against the idea of an open adoption, the benefits for the child, birth parent(s), and adoptive parents greatly outway the concerns against it.

An open adoption has been found to be the better opinion for parents considering the many benefits, such as the continued relationship between the child and the birth parent(s), the accessibility of the medical records from the birth family, the reduced guilt the birth family will face, and the confidence the child will have knowing that they have the family support on both sides.

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