The adoption triad consists of the children who are adopted, birth mothers and fathers and adoptive parents. Even if these three groups never meet together, their lives are bound to one another through adoption. The children are connected to both sets of parents, and the birth parents and adoptive parents are connected to each other through the children. There are joys and sorrows for everyone joined to adoption. Birth parents may miss the child they created, but may also be comforted that the child is being well cared for and loved in her new home. Adoptive parents may be concerned that the child will feel the loss of her biological parents but may be happy to love, care and raise the child. The child may wonder about her biological parents but may cherish and love her adoptive parents. These thoughts and feelings are complicated, complex and lifelong, and are dealt with more easily by some people while others may struggle with them. Each adoption is unique and so is the adjustment to it. But, with love and support, most adoptions are successful at creating loving and stable environments in which children blossom.

Not all adoptions are successful and some people are opposed to adoption, but those who support adoption recognize it as a way to provide children with a safe, stable, and loving home environment. If you are considering adoption, you probably already know some of the challenges. Our society sends mixed messages about adoption. On one hand, you have probably seen or heard public service announcements that talk about how precious adoption can be; what a difference you can make in a child's life. On the other hand, you will see movies or news stories where an adopted child has been in trouble or an adoption was done illegally. Of course, this happens. But, biological children also do horrible things and biological parents sometimes do horrible things to their children. Your decision to adopt should be about your family. Do you want to parent a child and are you willing and able to face the challenges that being an adoptive parent may bring?

These are a couple of very difficult questions that must be answered prior to beginning the adoption process. With the possibility of becoming adoptive parents, there is a responsibility of the highest commitment owed the potential adpoted children. It is critical that you do extensive research on the adoption process, so you can determine if it is truly an experience you can manage. The children must not be given false hope. At this point in their lives, they need and deserve nothing less than complete and reassuring love.

One of the main questions that adoptive parents must ask themselves is can they love a child not born to them? If you read stories and books by adoptive parents, you will find that the majority come to see themselves connected to their adopted children in ways not understood by people who think that a genetic link to their children is the essential tie. Years ago, Cybthia McFadden interviewed Barbara Walters and her adopted daughter about this very issue. Barbara Walters and her daughter were so loving and demonstrated so strongly the power of love as the key to successful parenting. The Lifetime Network had a show called Adoption Stories that profiled families' journeys through adoption. Watching these parents struggle through the adoption process and then watching these parents with their children, you could not help but be inspired. And, these families clearly loved and were loved by their adopted children.These families showed that parenting is a choice and they could easily love a child not born to them. While it might not be for everybody, for most people it is just another way to make a family.

Asking yourself these tough questions is important. For some people, the answers come easily. If you are one of those who know, you can meet a child's need for a family openly and you can help that child as he grows ( and support him if he has questions or struggles about his adoption), your next step is to find an adoption agency that can work with you to help you in this amazing journey.

Tags: Adoption Announcement, Adoption General Information

In the 1950's single mothers had few options if they became pregnant. Often, they were whisked away to homes where they were forced to sign their babies away never knowing who the parents were or given time to see their babies. This causes a surge of adopted children to come back years later looking for their birth mothers or insisting on their rights to their medical and genetic history. There are still many out there searching, trying to find their roots and have some sense of identity of where they came from and who they are.

Open adoption seeks to limit those issues that closed adoption caused by allowing the birth mother to meet and interact with the prospective adoptive parents before and after the birth. Some families are committed to keeping the birth mother involved, in which case, the open adoption becomes a new family arrangement that seeks to put the needs of the child first.

Open Adoption Families Although open adoption only means that the birth mother and the adoptive parents exchange information on themselves, it can lead to other arrangements where the birth mother is more involved. It is understood, however, that the birth mother has relinquished all parental and legal rights to the adoptive family. Thus, the fear that a birth mother will try to reclaim a child is minimal. Some families like to invite the birth mother to special occasions like Christenings. Others even have the relatives of the child visit with the birth mother. It all is a personal choice and is not required in open adoptions.

Open adoption can provide the following advantages to closed adoptions, although each situation is different:

1. Children can ask a birth mother directly why they were put up for adoption.
2. The adoptive parents and children can have access to medical records and genetic information that allows them to keep good health records.
3. Birth mothers have the option to participate in the adoption planning, even getting to choose who the adoptive parents will be.
4. The birth mother can be assured she has made a good decision placing her child up for adoption.
5. The adoptive parents can be screened to meet legal requirements.
6. The birth mother can receive assistance from the adoptive parents before and after the baby is born.
7. The birth mother can request information or on-going contact in the form of letters, pictures of her child, and/or phone calls.
8. The child can meet birth relatives too and thus establish a larger support system wider than their adoptive family.
9. The child knows where they came from and can even be exposed to their heritage and culture through the birth parents.
10. It allows the child to be able to process losses associated with adoption without making it a lifelong quest for truth.

A History Of Open Adoption

Open adoption was prevalent in the 1920's with social agencies not being involved too much. This led to fears that birth parents were advertising their children and placing them in unsuitable homes or selling them outright. The laws for closed adoptions and agency interventions didn't come around until the 1940's and 1950's. Many years later, the fallout from closed adoptions became apparent with many adopted children seeking their birth parents or their genetic and medical history.

Lawyers actually started the movement back to open adoptions by providing an independent agency that would make sure the laws were followed in adoption proceedings and speeding up the adoption process. In many of these cases because it was done in a lawyer's office the parents and birth mother did get to know each other. But, they had high failure rates because of the emotional and social issues of adoption.

By then, the social standards had softened and single mothers no longer were thought of as a shameful secret. Many began keeping their children and fewer children actually were released for adoption. This caused agencies to change so as to meet the concern by mothers that their children were being placed in good homes and would be treated well. If they did not change, fewer adoptions were processed. So, open adoption is becoming more and more the norm. It is a good way to ease the losses of the child, the birth parent, and the infertile adoptive parents and can provide benefits for all.

Tags: adoption agency, Adoption Announcement, Adoption General Information

Unless someone has experienced the entire adoption process firsthand, no one can truly appreciate what is involved in this long haul. Some couples know right from the start that they will adopt. Others however don't begin the application process until after years of disappointment. Either way, the end result ? a beautiful child ? makes the journey all worthwhile.

The gift of a loving family is an immeasurable reward to treasure; but can you think of a more precious material gift to give you child than the entire "birth process" documented in the form of a scrapbook? Once he/she is old enough to appreciate it, this scrap book will be examined time and time again. Start with a heart-felt letter of how much you deeply desired to grow your family; write about the anticipation and the prayers as you waited, and waited some more.

Detail accounts of the application process, the background check, and the home visit. Mark your shopping trips for bedroom furniture and a new wardrobe with photos of the occasions. If it's an international adoption, do a section in your scrapbook on the country of origin. You may want to celebrate the heritage of your child so add thorough detail about the birth country.

An adoption scrapbook is similar to a baby brag book, only it reflects more on the journey, not the end result. It is much like a pregnancy scrapbook. You want to include milestones, victories and disappointments. Any parent of adult children knows the timeline from diapers to graduation goes far too quickly. And while you are convinced you'll remember every detail about the adoption process, the truth is you simply can't remember it all.

The homecoming will be the most memorable event in the entire adoption process. The day you've been waiting for ? in many cases, waiting for years, will finally come to fruition. It will be a banner celebration ? marked by friends and family, balloons and signage and most of all ? lots of joy. Be sure to capture this joyous occasion with countless photos. Not that I needed to tell any proud parent to remember to take photos!

The welcome home celebration will be the final chapter to your Adoption Scrapbook. What may have started out as anticipation filled frustration will be completed with pure bliss. Memorialize this event!

Tags: Adoption Announcement, Adoption General Information

TROUBLED pop singer Britney Spears, who recently lost permanent custody of her two sons, Jayden James and Sean Preston to ex-husband Kevin Federline, is planning to adopt Chinese twins.

Online reports on sites including Showbizspy.com and Britain's News Of The World newspaper, have stated Britney, 25, confided to pals that she's in the final stages of talks with an adoption agency and plans to go ahead with the adoption very soon.

The news of Brits planned adoption comes after Spears former husband, Kevin Federline was awarded full custody of their two sons.

A photographer snapped the Gimme More singer - who still has access to the two boys, enjoying some time with Jayden and Sean at her home in LA on Friday.

Friends of the singer reckon that Britney has elected to adopt the two six-year-old children from China in a frantic bid to fill the void left by losing her sons to K-Fed.

Britney was also banned from driving with the kids in the car after she ran a red light in Hollywood.

And, according to further reports, Britney has also spent $50,000 on arranging her own funeral!

Spears allegedly splashed the cash arranging her funeral because she fears her spiralling lifestyle may lead to an early grave.

Brit's bizarre purchase has left her friends and family worried that she is becoming increasingly depressed and that her unhealthy lifestyle is taking its toll.

A source close to Britney said: "It doesn't seem that Britney has thought this through completely. Adoption and a funeral? The two don't exactly go hand-in-hand.

"Paying for a funeral is a sensible thing to do but not when youre only 25!

"It's a case of too much, too soon with Britney.

"Not a week goes by without something strange happening to her now. She's doing herself no favours.

Tags: Adoption General Information, international adoption