In open adoption, you will be the one choosing the adopting parents for your child. This process is different from traditional adoptions in which a birth mother’s wishes were not considered. We will assist you in participating as fully as you would like in your adoption plan. You will learn about the adoptive parents, their values, and the life your child will share with them. You will decide what kind of contact you want in the future, be it pictures, letters or visits with the family (or minimal or no contact if that is what you prefer). If you’d like, we can help you develop a written agreement for future contact with the adoptive parents. This agreement will spell out what the contact will be and can be filed in court.
Your relationship with the adoptive parents will evolve over time, as your trust in each other develops. Some birth mothers can become like a member of the extended family who sends birthday cards and is there for important moments in the child’s life. Others choose less contact.
Regardless of the amount of contact, open adoption removes the secrecy that used to be a part of adoption, and helps your child learn about his or her biological family in a positive and loving way. Such knowledge helps your child develop a healthy self-identity within his or her adoptive family