National Adoption Month
It's finally November 1st! Coley always makes fun of me because I'm not a huge fan of Halloween, so I get so excited when November begins! It's so hard for me to wait to put up Christmas decorations! I'll settle for watching Hallmark movies in my pjs for a couple weeks though. :)
The past couple of years though, November has meant something a little different to our family. Did you know that November is National Adoption Month? We didn't until we began our adoption journey. We are still in the waiting stages (and it is definitely getting much harder with the holidays coming up) but we are still reflective of our journey so far and are thinking of our future with Baby Craft.
National Adoption Month began in 1976 in Massachusetts. The governor then declared an adoption week, which then became a National Adoption Week in 1984 thanks to Ronald Reagan. In 1995, Bill Clinton expanded the week to become National Adoption Month every November. During November, various agencies and organizations do events and such celebrating adoption and raising awareness. Our agency has a banquet and president Kevin Qualls speaks pretty much every weekend. They encourage birth mothers to share their adoption stories on various mediums, which is therapeutic for some and encourages other women to consider adoption.
When looking at ways to celebrate National Adoption Month, AdoptHelp has a great list that includes things such as watching movies that promote values of adoption with your family or spreading awareness using social media. They also suggest donating time or money to an organization that supports adoption to support families who are in the process of either adopting a child or birth mothers making adoption plans. You can read the entire list here.
My favorite suggestion that anyone can do is to read a book about adoption with your children. It is important that all children understand adoption, not just those who are adopted. Baby Craft will be in school with children who are not adopted and may not understand the meaning of adoption. Many of my students at school make comments that are degrading towards others regarding adoption, despite knowing of classmates who have been adopted. It takes a community mindset change to promote change in how others use words, and promoting adoption values with your children at home is a great way to start.
We have done research on adoption books so that we can include them in our child's library. We have found a few that we really love.
A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza - This one is one of my favorite books, adoption or not. I love the story of Choco, a little bird, trying to find a place where he fits in. He goes around asking, "Are you my mother?" to a variety of animals before finding a home with a Mama Bear. It is a precious story with a beautiful meaning.
I Wished for You by Marianne Richmond - This book is one we registered for and is now part of Baby Craft's little library. I enjoy reading through some of these from time to time to remind me about what an important decision adoption is for the families involved. This book has an amazing portrayal of the birth mother that brings me to tears every single time I read it. We have an uphill battle when we explain how grateful we are for our birth mother since society has made adoption plans seem shameful towards the birth mother, but this book describes her role perfectly.
These books and so many more are a great way to explain what adoption means to an adopted or biological child. It encourages love and acceptance for everyone. Please use National Adoption Month as a way to advocate for birth mothers and adoptive families and raise awareness to the beauty that is adoption.
The past couple of years though, November has meant something a little different to our family. Did you know that November is National Adoption Month? We didn't until we began our adoption journey. We are still in the waiting stages (and it is definitely getting much harder with the holidays coming up) but we are still reflective of our journey so far and are thinking of our future with Baby Craft.
National Adoption Month began in 1976 in Massachusetts. The governor then declared an adoption week, which then became a National Adoption Week in 1984 thanks to Ronald Reagan. In 1995, Bill Clinton expanded the week to become National Adoption Month every November. During November, various agencies and organizations do events and such celebrating adoption and raising awareness. Our agency has a banquet and president Kevin Qualls speaks pretty much every weekend. They encourage birth mothers to share their adoption stories on various mediums, which is therapeutic for some and encourages other women to consider adoption.
When looking at ways to celebrate National Adoption Month, AdoptHelp has a great list that includes things such as watching movies that promote values of adoption with your family or spreading awareness using social media. They also suggest donating time or money to an organization that supports adoption to support families who are in the process of either adopting a child or birth mothers making adoption plans. You can read the entire list here.
My favorite suggestion that anyone can do is to read a book about adoption with your children. It is important that all children understand adoption, not just those who are adopted. Baby Craft will be in school with children who are not adopted and may not understand the meaning of adoption. Many of my students at school make comments that are degrading towards others regarding adoption, despite knowing of classmates who have been adopted. It takes a community mindset change to promote change in how others use words, and promoting adoption values with your children at home is a great way to start.
We have done research on adoption books so that we can include them in our child's library. We have found a few that we really love.
A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza - This one is one of my favorite books, adoption or not. I love the story of Choco, a little bird, trying to find a place where he fits in. He goes around asking, "Are you my mother?" to a variety of animals before finding a home with a Mama Bear. It is a precious story with a beautiful meaning.
I Wished for You by Marianne Richmond - This book is one we registered for and is now part of Baby Craft's little library. I enjoy reading through some of these from time to time to remind me about what an important decision adoption is for the families involved. This book has an amazing portrayal of the birth mother that brings me to tears every single time I read it. We have an uphill battle when we explain how grateful we are for our birth mother since society has made adoption plans seem shameful towards the birth mother, but this book describes her role perfectly.
"Sometimes, a mama will grow a baby in her belly, and for all kinds of reasons, she'll decide she cannot be the very best mama she wants to be. The mama who grew you loved you enough to make a different wish - a wish for a family who would love her little one with a total and adoring love."Hey, Little Rockabye by Buffy Sainte-Marie - This one is not about adopted children, but rather an adopted puppy. The puppy is looking for a family to love him when he is found by a little girl. The girl tries to convince her parents to adopt the puppy. This helps children understand that adoption is about acceptance and love, no matter what. It could also be a way for your adopted child to connect with the world around them, especially if they're struggling to understand what adoption means.
These books and so many more are a great way to explain what adoption means to an adopted or biological child. It encourages love and acceptance for everyone. Please use National Adoption Month as a way to advocate for birth mothers and adoptive families and raise awareness to the beauty that is adoption.
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