The Very Real Benefits of Adoption
Adoption is a very positive thing for all of the people involved. When asked, the vast majority of children over the age of five years old (90%) say that they have positive feelings about having been adopted. About 81% of people involved say their relationship with their adoptive kids or parents is “very warm and close.” More than half of all adopted kids have dinner at least six nights a week with their families. If you are thinking about going to an adoption agency because you are pregnant and do not know what to do, there are some very positive things you can do by letting another family adopt your child.
How adoption is good for the adoptive families.
Some couples really want to add children to their lives. Unfortunately, biology does not always cooperate and for many, the natural route of becoming parents is not an option. These couples turn to an adoption agency to make their dreams of becoming parents a reality.
When parents who have chosen to go to an adoption agency finally bring their child home, they often wonder why they waited so long. Just like parents who have their child the other way, it changes everything about their lives for the better.
How adoption is good for the child.
Globally, there are close to 18 million children who have lost both their parents and are currently living in an orphanage. In the United States, there are currently nearly 400,000 kids in the foster care system. Meanwhile, nearly 75% of all children aged five or under who have been adopted are read to by their adoptive parents (only half of birth parents read to their kids of the same age). It would be hard to look at the data objectively and not say that kids who go through adoption programs are not appreciated a lot by their parents. These children are placed in good, loving homes where the parents really fought to get them.
Choosing adoption for your child can be good for you.
Finding out you are pregnant when you were not planning to be can be a good experience if the circumstances are right but it can be devastating if they are not. If the latter is what is happening, it can be unbelievably stressful and scary. Depending on your age, you may have to drop out of school or put on hold career and other personal goals you had been working towards. To put it bluntly, an unexpected pregnancy can hijack your entire life. To make matters worse, if you do not have a partner who wants the child or the financial ability to care for him or her, the stress is just magnified by a factor of 1,000.
For young women in college, high school or, worse, middle school, this can mean dropping out. These young women may be scared to tell their parents. If you are going through this, you might not know how you are going to care for a baby when you are still learning who you are yourself. Without the proper support system, this hijacking can be overwhelming and terrifying.
There is a lot of pressure women are put under to want to be mothers. You may have been told for years that you need to be a mother and you may really want that. That does not mean every women who becomes pregnant is ready to be a mother. It takes an enormous amount of strength of character to recognize this. Going to an adoption agency for help at this time may be the best thing you can do for yourself and your unborn child. Going to an adoption agency may be the best thing you can do to secure a positive and healthy future for your child.
“Giving up” your child to adoption agencies may be the last thing in the world that you ever thought you would do or that you want. It may, however be the most loving and generous thing you ever do for the family who adopts the child, for the child and for yourself. If you are even considering this an option, talk to a local adoption agency and they can answer your questions and make you feel better about the process.