You have probably seen a movie or heard a story from a friend that gave you false information about adoptions and the adoption process. However, without speaking to a family adoption attorney, you will not have an accurate view of the subject.
This is true information straight from an experienced family adoption attorney that seeks to empower your choice to adopt and reassure you about the process.
Adoptions are Always Closed
Previously, most adoptions were technically “closed.” A closed adoption means the birth mother or birth parents do not have any contact with the child after the adoption process is complete.
It has become more common in recent years for the adoptions to be “open.” This means that the biological mother and the adoptive parents have an agreement on the level of communication that will occur after the adoption.
Often, an open adoption includes the adoptive parents sending pictures to the biological mother and inviting the biological mother to milestone events. The biological mother becomes either a distant family member or like a close aunt.
Adoptive Parents Must Be Wealthy and Educated to Impress Birth Mother
Realistically, this is not the case. When polled, biological mothers are not looking for wealthy parents or hoping for a payout. Biological mothers working with an agency are really looking for a family that has strong moral character and a meaningful value system.
Nature Always Wins Over Nurture
When you adopt a child in Oklahoma, it is hard to know what their life was like before you brought them into your home. The older a child gets, the more foster homes they are passed to, the harder it is to rid them of a negative past. While this can be true, it is not the norm.
The media likes to sensationalize horrific events surrounding adopted children, however this is simply just not the case. The Department of Health and Human Services conducted a study in 2009 (last available statistics) that stated 85 percent of adopted children were in “good to excellent health” according to their adoptive parents.
Additionally, 81 percent of families with adopted children stated their relationship was “very warm and close” with their adopted child. It is clear that adopted children are able to grow up as healthy and adjusted children.
Adopted Children Despise Their Birth Parents
This is a common depiction in movies and television shows, showing only feelings of hatred and inability to cope by a child whose biological parent give them to another family. While initial feelings of abandonment and distrust may occur, many adopted children find closure by being in contact with their biological parents.
Being able to have open lines of communication with their biological parents, when the child is old enough to understand, helps the child understand the hardship their parent suffered and the ultimate sacrifice the biological parent made in order to give their child a better life. Statistics show the majority of adoptive parents have nothing but respect for the biological parents.
Free Consultation with a Tulsa Divorce Lawyer
It is important to not let friends, family, the media, or Hollywood influence your understanding of the adoption process. It is a beautiful process between new parents welcoming in a previously family-less child.
Meeting with an adoption attorney will help you understand the process more thoroughly and be educated on the process before beginning.
Contact an experienced Tulsa divorce attorney when you need to go through the Oklahoma adoption process.
For a free confidential consultation, call now: 918-924-5526.
