What Is Open Adoption?

February 24, 2009 by brwilson
Filed under: Adoption

A term you may have heard if you have been researching adoption is open adoption Basically, and open adoption means that the parent who is giving a child up for adoption will have some part in the child's life, even if they are not caring for the child on a full-time basis.

Open adoption is an issue that can provoke strong feelings among prospective adoptive parents. Many adoptive parents would prefer that the child that they adopt has little or no contact with their birth parents. Feelings like this often stem from insecurity, but also are out of genuine love and concern for the child and their well-being. Some adoptive parents feel that allowing the birth parents to have a role in the raising of the child may cause some confusion for the child. In some cases it may be dangerous for the child to have contact with their birth parents.

While there are many differing opinions on this subject, some families have managed to successfully manage and open adoption. Of course in cases of extreme abuse, where the parents were found to be unfit or dangerous to the child, and open adoption situation is not likely possible. Often the most common scenario where open adoption works well is when the birth mother is a young teenager and simply cannot look after a child. It's not that she is an unfit mother, but simply is not prepared for such a responsibility. In cases like this, the adoptive parents may choose to allow the birth mother to see the child from time to time and take part in special occasions like birthdays and other special events.

No matter you opinion on the subject, if you are seeking an adoption and want more information about open adoptions, it's important to seek counsel from a professional familiar with these specific situations.

Please check out the section of our website providing adoption resources. Most of these resources are free.