OA&FS Blog

By Katie Raser, OA&FS counselor The second Sunday in May is quickly approaching and, for many, this is a day that can be full of complicated – and conflicting – emotions. For those who are part of the adoption constellation, as well as those who are hoping to parent through adoption, there can be extra layers of nuance. Mother’s Day can be a day of complicated, and invisible, grief. It can represent a want that remains unfulfilled or a question without a good answer. It can be a day of big…

By content specialist Leah Lusk and program manager Delphine Veith If you are living in an open adoption or exploring it as a possibility, it’s likely you’ll get some questions from the people around you. Although most adoptions now include some level of openness, the concept of open adoption continues to be strange to some people. Maybe you’re an adoptee who shares stories about your biological parents and adoptive parents, and this is sometimes confusing to your friends. Maybe you’re a…

By Leah Lusk, OA&FS content specialist A new website, ProtectAdoption.org, has cropped up, with the tagline “Where adoption is celebrated and the child’s best interests are at the heart of every decision.” The site is the product of an organization called The Adoption Coalition, which says it is “a group of individuals impacted by adoption and adoption-related organizations, who are weaving together collective experience, research, and influence to make a significant impact in the…

By Shari Levine, executive director What are the core components of a genuine and fulfilling open adoption? I set out to identify and explore the unique ingredients that birth parents and adoptive parents bring to the table to create not just a good open adoption, but a great open adoption. I wanted to learn more about how we as an agency can foster and develop those key qualities. I interviewed two pioneer birthparents, Melissa and Garrett, who 20 years ago invested their hopes and dreams in a…

By Bethany, OA&FS birth mother As a birthmother, my life has gone through several milestones and changes since my daughter’s open adoption in 2009. Open adoption is a wonderful alternative to closed adoption and foster care. It’s also very beneficial for those who are already parenting and don’t have the means to parent another child. Being part of the open adoption process has given me more direction in figuring out what my goals in life are. I have been better able to understand myself,…

by OA&FS staff “To be rooted is perhaps the most important and least recognized need of the human soul.” – Simone Weil. Adoption is a word that can connote many feelings; a sense of family, love, and fulfillment, and also grief, fear, questioning, and secrecy. Where we come from is often a central component of our sense of identity, helping explain who we are and to whom we are connected. When we don’t know where we come from, or we wonder about an unknown past, this can lead to feelings…