A to-do list for today and tomorrow

It’s easy to think of adoption as a journey that begins when the decision to adopt is made and that ends when the adoptive parents are matched with the birthparents, or when the child is placed with the adoptive parents, or when a court finalizes the placement. Gayle Swift has written a lovely reminder that the journey continues, and talks about how we can support David’s journey as he grows and understands more about how we came to be his Mama and Papa and how he came to be our David.

Here’s a sample based on her piece of what we need to continue doing:

• Learning and practicing adoption-sensitive parenting techniques
• Using sound adoption language
• Knowing the attachment process
• Considering grief and loss issues
• Respecting David’s birth parents
• Validating David’s need to know, talk, and care about birth parents
• Modeling healthy boundaries
• Educating family, friends, and teachers on adoption
• Remembering that David’s story belongs to him
• Recognizing adoption is a family experience
• Encouraging playfulness and humor as a family value
• Integrating David’s birth heritage
• Validating and acknowledging David’s losses and gains in adoption