What to say…What not to say. Words of Adoption

Parents who adopt children are real and natural parents...

• Their new child has both birth parents and forever parents

Birth Parents do not “put up” children for adoption.

• Sometimes birth parents do not have the support or resources to take care of the child, but they all have one thing in common…

• They LOVE the child and want what is best for him/her.

• That is why they made an adoption plan or placed their child for adoption

• Children are in need of a family, not hard-to-place.

All children have a right to their privacy.

• Reasons and circumstances about why a child was adopted is their story.

• It is their choice if they choose to share this personal information.

What adoption is not

• A disability with which to cope…Say “he/she was adopted”…Not “is”

• Any less real of a family than a family made by birth…Say “this is my son/daughter…Not “adopted son/daughter”

What it means…putting it in perspective

• Natural child: Any child who is not artificial

• Real parent: any parent who is not imaginary

• Your own child: any child who is not someone else’s child

• Adopted child: a natural child, with a real parent, which is all my own

Adoptive families begin in a different way, but they are families, just the same as other families.