Steve & Amy – Hoping to Adopt

This weekend Amy and I went to an Adoption Education Class. It went from 9:00am-9:00pm yesterday (Friday, so we both had to take work off) and 9:30am-4:00pm today. There was a lot of information presented and it was emotionally draining at times. The presenters were amazing, and shared real stories that brought the whole process to life. We loved everything about it.

One of the highlights, for us, was the birth parent panel. They had a birth Father and a birth Mother (not of the same baby) that presented their stories. We were stunned by the courage that they had and have. I was surprised that in most cases, the birth Father doesn’t want to play a significant role in the plans of the baby, so it is usually the birth Mother that faces these decisions. Many times the birth Mother has opposition to her decisions from family and friends who quickly offer their advice. We’ve always had respect for these types of parents, but after seeing, hearing, and feeling what they went through to get to the point of placing their babies, that level of respect increased dramatically. These are some of the finest, most self-less, and honorable people in our opinion. There are many myths about adoption, such as thinking that birth mothers place their babies for adoption because it’s the “easy way out”. I can understand this thought process, but I would argue that it is completely erroneous. Many birth mothers begin with a plan that includes them parenting the baby. Often times, for various reasons, they reach a point when they understand that this plan is not realistic and that the baby’s needs would be best met through adoption. Even after reaching this point, it is very difficult for them to follow-through, because many of them really want to be the baby’s parent, but they are willing to place the baby’s needs ahead of their hopes and desires.

There was also an adoptive parent panel. Two couples that have recently adopted babies shared their stories of the process. It was a relief to hear that they had many of the same concerns and fears as us. We loved how open and honest they were. It reaffirmed to us that many times these babies are meant to be adopted into specific families and that God directs this process for the birth parents, the adopting parents, and the many other people involved.

There were so many other parts that we loved as well! Going to the class helped us better understand the adoption process and the various roles people have in that process. We loved hearing examples of the adoption process from both the birth parents point of view and adopting parents point of view. We also made a few friends that are in a similar situation as us, and it was nice to be able to relate to each other.

We are so grateful for adoption and are excited for the day when that miracle will take place in our lives.