Warning:
This guide contains real and raw stories of adoptees, birth parents and adoptive parents. If you are looking for a guide that tells you all the wonderful things about adoption and that love is enough, this guide is for you too, but you may find your perspectives about many aspects of adoption are about to change.
If you are not open to learning about the hard truths about adoption, adoption may not be right choice for you at this moment.
If you are ready to learn the hard stuff so you can be more prepared for the reality that is coming . . . read on.
This guide is NOT meant to be a comprehensive guide to all things adoption. Instead, it is meant to be a starting point to give you things to think
about and further study.
My hope is that by reading this guide, you won’t feel alone and know there are people out there ready to support you along the way.
The Guide
When compiling this guide, I tried to put things in that I wish I would have known about before we adopted. At first, I envisioned this as a free digital book, but as I realized there could be much more added in the future, I decided to compile it into a website that can be added to for years to come.
For me, it is more important that this information is out there, easily accessible, and free so that those that are looking into adoption can learn as much as possible before they put up their profile. I have run an online adoption support and education group for more than a decade, and much of what is included below are from this decade of learning from those that LIVE adoption each day.
CHAPTER 2
REALITY CHECK
The realities you need to know before you adopt.
CHAPTER 3
TYPES, HISTORY & PRACTICES
A brief overview of the history, types and practices of adoption.
CHAPTER 4
TRANSRACIAL ADOPTION
A brief overview and resources for Transracial Adoption (TRA), by Kari Weiss, TRA adoptee
CHAPTER 5
AUTHENTIC PROFILE BUILDING
How to authentically build a profile and a life-long relationship
CHAPTER 6
IT’S {NOT} YOUR BABY
The realities of placement and when parenting is chosen.
CHAPTER 7
SHARING FOREVER
The realities of post-placement.
CHAPTER 8
TRAUMA
The realities of trauma in birth and adoptive parents.
CHAPTER 9
LOSS
The realities of loss in adoption.
CHAPTER 10
TRAUMA, PART TWO
The realities of trauma in adoptees.
CHAPTER 11
ARE WE THERE YET?
Not everyone will understand your journey. That’s ok. Not everyone is on the same road.
CHAPTER 12
RESOURCES
Helpful resources for further education and support.
CHAPTER 13
FINAL THOUGHTS
Quick, inspirational and thoughtful quotes.
A few stats in adoption
The NCFA did a research report on domestic adoption statistics, how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted adoption and created fact sheets showing how adoption has changed over time in your state. You can view it here.