It’s National Adoption Day! In addition to raising awareness about the hundreds of thousands of kids in foster care looking for a family, many families are headed off to courthouses around the country to finalize their adoptions and legally grow their family. It’s a special day for many. 5 years ago, we were one those families going to the courthouse on a Saturday.
We had been caring for and loving a sweet baby boy with chubby cheeks. We brought him home when he was 4 days old. In our hearts, he was ours. We loved him like our own. But it wasn’t until that cold, Saturday morning at the courthouse when he legally became our son, at 8 months old. With a bang of the gavel, the judge declared us a family. Forever.
Adoption Day was a day filled with lots of happiness. It’s a big deal to be recognized as a real family. In the back of my mind, amidst all our celebrating, I couldn’t help but remember our son’s first family. It was a journey of ups and down to get to the point of finalizing our son’s adoption. There was a lot of heartbreak. This was one loved little boy. He was so wanted and loved and after a lot of deep thinking his parents made the gut-wrenching, nearly impossible decision to give him a different life. We will be forever thankful for that choice. He’s our son because of it. But he’s still theirs too.
That was our first experience with open adoption. We didn’t know what to expect. But it’s been good. Really good. They love our son. And our son has that connection of knowing where he came from and knowing that it was a choice made out of love. When we adopted our daughters, their love for our son changed into love for our kids. All of them. We’re truly one (big) family.
Adoption can be messy. Really messy. There are often feelings of betrayal, regret, loss & heartbreak. But there’s also a lot of beauty. The beauty found in love, hope & family. For us, adoption is a beautiful mess. I’m so thankful that adoption has blessed us with our kids & so much more.
Below is a list of all the stories we are sharing about Adoption today. Please take a moment to see how this is touching so many lives:
“10 Things Adoption Taught Me”
By Alissa Kay
Love is NOT enough… and other surprising facts they don’t tell you about adoption.
“A *REAL* Mom”
By Maralee Bradley
What makes up a “REAL” family? Real brothers… real sisters… REAL…
“An Honored Houseguest”
By Dotti Gramke
Where do babies go between the hospital and an adoptive home? Some are lucky enough to find themselves in this woman’s loving embrace. A story about a part of adoption not often discussed.
“A Family of Adoption”
By Kristine Jacobson
It really is amazing how one prayer led her family to SOOO many children.
“A Birth Mother’s Story”
Written by Stephanie Behrens , Submitted by Kelly Maser
As a Senior in High School, she struggled with her choices. She chose adoption. Here’s how she feels about it.
**Some stories are harder to write than others. Stay tuned. Check back. We will be adding stories from other writers as we get them. In the meantime, check here for all of Her View From Home’s stories about adoption and foster care
And for more of Alissa’s stories click here.