How do you feel about open adoption?
Open adoption means birth parents have direct contact with their children and adoptive parents through letters, emails, photos, and/or visits.
Some birth parents prefer an open adoption. They feel it benefits both them and their child(ren) by permitting them to develop a continuing relationship. They like the reassurance it provides that children are loved and well cared for and they appreciate that it may help ease some feelings of pain, loss or grief.
And others don’t. For them, an open adoption forces them to confront their extremely raw feelings. For them, an open adoption simply serves as a constant reminder of possibly the most significant loss of their life. Letters, emails, pictures and visits can lead to intense feelings of sadness and depression.
What about you – what has your experience been like? Have your feelings about openness changed over time?
