Adopting a child is a beautiful journey. One filled with purpose, love, and challenges. Understanding your child’s history will help you meet and overcome those challenges more easily. It will also strengthen the bond you build as a parent and child.
For adoptive parents, the idea that a child had another family before this one can be hard to acknowledge. However, there are so many wonderful benefits for children when adoptive parents learn as much as they can about their child’s history. Here is a handful to keep in mind:
Cultural Expression
Culture is a huge part of our identities as human beings. Your child, even if raised in your home with your family traditions, may have a cultural identity all their own. This is an especially important factor to consider for families adopting a child from a different ethnic background.
Research shows that while children of all races can thrive in adoptive homes, they may feel they are missing something if their cultural identity is never fully explored. From language to customs, your adopted child could have an entirely different background than the one you were brought up with. The wonderful thing about this is getting the chance to explore these differences together.
Medical History
If you adopt through an agency like Adoption & Beyond, chances are, most of your child’s medical history will be included through the adoption process. However, there are some adoption stories that don’t provide insight into a child’s medical history such as international adoption. If this is the case, you may need to do a bit of digging on your own to determine whether there’s any important information about your child’s past you should know.
The Birth Parent Story
No matter how confident your child is that he or she is loved and accepted as a member of your family, they may experience a period of grieving around their birthday or holiday. Grief for the birth family, a life that could have been, and familial heritage are all normal emotions.
It’s important to know as much as you can about where your child came from so that you can facilitate this conversation throughout their life.
Contact Adoption & Beyond Today
If you’re considering adoption, or you are a parent of an adopted child with questions, reach out to us, we are here to help. Adoption & Beyond is a non-profit adoption agency serving families in Kansas and Missouri.
We work closely with birth parents, adoptive parents, and their children. We are here to support you through your adoption journey. For more information call us at 1-913-381-6919
Interested in learning more about The Ultimate Guide to Family Life After Adoption? Check out our entire guide here.
