Happy National Adoption Month... Now What Are You Going To Do About It?

Today begins National Adoption Month. Since the time we had the unbelievable blessing of adding a child to our family through the gift of adoption, I have had a deep calling on my heart to advocate for more adoptions in this country.  This year I have decided to act on this calling and just jumped in to beginning research on adoption.  I really have no idea where this will lead me, but I do know that wherever it takes me it will result in families discerning adoption and hopefully, making the decision to become a child’s forever family.

In this spirit I sent out questionnaires to all perspectives of adoption.  I sent some to birth moms and birth families, families who have adopted, families who have fostered and adult adoptees.  I wanted to get some base information on the adoption process and how that process has impacted their lives.  Using these questionnaires, my goal is to shed some light on the struggles and triumphs that are present in adoption.  The personal adoption stories these families have shared will hopefully help to educate everyone and will speak to someone who has adoption on their heart.  Perhaps what we share will encourage one more adoption this year.  That would truly be a goal! 

When Shawn and I were adopting, we were literally in the dark.  Ours was a private adoption of a 2.5 year old.  We had no idea what questions to ask, how to get funding, how to prepare our family… and we were scared to death.  All along we were led with a deep desire to be our son’s parents and, what we can only attribute, to some divine help along the way.  It was so frustrating that no one could hold our hands on this journey.  We had so many concerns and unanswered questions.  Many of these concerns and questions, beautiful strangers connected by adoption, have answered in these questionnaires.  I would have loved to have this wealth of knowledge.

I plan on spending every day this month writing a blog about the adoption process and how it has affected our lives both positively and negatively.  I will share this in the hopes that you can learn from our mistakes and be inspired by the gift God gave us, most undeserved.  I will also spend each blog sharing one fact that has made me feel such a strong desire to speak out on behalf of those children waiting to be adopted. These facts have been the fire under which I stand.  They are literally forcing me to act.  Forcing me to beg you to consider whether or not you can offer a forever family to a child in need.  This is my first fact to share…

This sounds like a huge number but in 2016, the number of US households was 125.82 MILLION.  That means if only 1 family in every 1100 would follow the call to adopt, there would be no more orphans in our country.  EVERY child in our country would have the gift of a family.

If your family could not, for whatever reason, be one of the adoptive families… ask yourself, how could you support adoptive families who follow the call to adopt?  Could you sponsor an adoption?  Could you help organize an adoption fundraiser?  Could you talk to your friends and family and ask them if they have ever considered adoption?  Think of what could happen if the 125 million families made it their responsibility to actively find forever families for the 114,000 children without one.  Could you even imagine how much this would positively impact our society?

In the blogs to come, I will share alarming facts about the cost of denying families to these children.  You may not think that these orphans are YOUR issue… but you would be shocked to know how many of these orphans fill our prison system, our streets, our mental health community and our government aid programs.  If we only worked hard to help these children in more than just words, our entire country would change for the better.

I so encourage you to share my post with the important people in your lives.  Maybe if they see a fact, a story, a testimony they will be called to adopt.  And in answering that call, you will have helped a child in need.

Before I leave you today I am going to share a quote from Mr. Rogers… the man who walked with most of us through our childhood.  He also happens to be an adoptive brother.  Interesting how so many have that connection…

 

Here’s to the Heroes of Adoption… Birth moms and families, Adoptive families who answered the call to adopt, Foster parents who are in the trenches working daily to make a difference in the lives of children in need and Adult Adoptees who can use their experiences to continue improving and supporting adoption for others. Thank you so much for making a difference!

November is the National Month of Adoption Awareness.  How are you going to help spread the word?