A personal adoption story is one of the best gifts adoptive parents can give their children. It’s a chance to explain their hopes and dreams for family, the journey that led them to adoption, and the events in the child’s life that have shaped him or her. The stories can also highlight the love and sacrifice of both birth and adoptive families.
Adoptees often develop a narrative of their own, based on the information they have been told by their adoptive families and agencies. This story is their foundation, and the one they will carry with them into adulthood.
A story can be a picture-based scrapbook, or a written chronicle of the relationship between a child and their adoptive parents. Pictures are important, as are textured elements, such as a piece of the fabric your child’s birth mother was wearing, or their hospital wristband. Some people even include the lyrics of a song or poem that has special meaning to them.
The most important part of your adoption story is your child. Focus on the positive aspects of your family and how you’ve bonded with them. You may want to leave out some of the more controversial aspects, especially when your child is young.
Unfortunately, television and movies sometimes depict the adoption experience in a tragic light. This is a shame, and it’s encouraging to see that some series are starting to change the way they portray blended families.