Thinking about Adoption - How to talk to your children about your Plan

Our pregnant clients considering adoption vary greatly in age, personality, and cultural / ethnic backgrounds. They come from different roads in their lives. But, many of the expectant women that seek our services are single mothers. These moms have experience with parenting and have learned the ups and downs that come with being a parent. They have experienced the struggles of single parenting and the struggles of being able to provide the basic needs for their children. Many of our clients tell us that they lack resources to provide stability. Struggling financially and coping with instability, they are scared to bring another baby home. Thus, our clients consider adoption as a positive solution to their unplanned pregnancy.

Our professional and caring counselors are available to provide emotional support and adoption education. We welcome the opportunity to meet our client’s children. Our private counseling room is child-friendly with countless toys and coloring books. Many of our clients ask us: “My children are starting to notice and ask about my growing belly. What do I tell them?” or “My children are asking about the baby and if he will be coming home to live with us. What should I say?” Our trained counselors will offer compassionate advice and suggestions on how you can talk with your children about the adoption plan. The child’s understanding about the concept of adoption varies depending on the child’s age. We can offer help how to share the information at an age-appropriate level. In addition, we have available children’s books that illustrate and talk about adoption as a positive option to an unexpected pregnancy.

Furthermore, our counselors offer the opportunity for the children to be as involved in the adoption plan, as our expectant clients feel comfortable with. For instance, children might be very interested and enjoy being included in reviewing adoptive family profiles. They might appreciate having some say in helping their mother select adoptive parents for his / her sibling. Finally, meeting the potential adoptive parents will help them understand the adoption plan. As young children are such concrete thinkers, seeing and talking to the new parents aids their comprehension of who will be parents to their new sibling. In addition, this meeting can offer comfort to the child and eliminate any fears. It offers an opportunity for open communication between all parties.