How to Tell Your Children You’re Adopting
You’ve probably received one of those precious postcards in the mail with the picture of a smiling newborn and his birth information. Birth announcements are incredibly commonplace for parents to send out when they have a biological child. They are a sweet way of allowing friends and family members to see the new baby and share some of the most important details without individually contacting each person. Until recently, adoptive families felt left out of this rite of passage that comes along with expanding the family.
Now, they can send their own adoption announcements that share all of the pertinent details of their adoption instead. It can include a picture of the new child, their birth weight and height, or maybe even their interests. This is one way to help other people feel connected and involved, particularly if you plan to take time to cocoon with your new child.
While adoption announcements can be a great way to notify others of your family’s growth, how should you really handle them? We wanted to give you a few tips on how to include the appropriate information at just the right time. Be sure to take a look at this handy guide before you decide to send out your own adoption announcements!
Wait until the legal limbo is officially over.
Depending on what state you live in, you may have a time period where the biological families can still choose to parent the child. You might be permitted to bring the baby home from the hospital, but the biological parents could have up to sixty days to rescind the adoption plan. Adoptive families are usually advised to wait until this period of time is officially over before they declare their new adoption to the world. After all, this is when the child legally becomes theirs forever.
In short, it is often best to wait until your court date where the adoption will be finalized. Your friends and family members will understand that the announcements were delayed by a month or two. The truth is that they may not even notice that you waited to send out them out.
Include only pertinent information.
Remember that some parts of your child’s story will remain completely their own. An adoption announcement isn’t a place to overshare or to explain why the birth mother chose not to parent your new child. If you are adopting an older child, there is no need to put information about where they came from or why they are being placed for adoption. Close friends and family members may have some of those details, but it isn’t necessary for everyone to hear that information.
Add all of the important dates.
Adoption comes with a lot of dates that can be significant to a family. You might want to include the child’s birthday, the first time you met them, and the date that the adoption was finalized. Other families might even need to include the date that their child first moved into their home. As in all adoptions, your family’s story is bound to be unique. You should include all of the relevant dates that played a part in your family’s adoption story.
Birth information isn’t necessary.
An adoption announcement can sometimes break conventional rules. While a birth announcement needs the weight and height of the child, an adoption announcement can forego these items. You might include these statistics if you are adopting a newborn or were present at the hospital for the birth. However, you may choose to omit them if you are adopting an older child.
Embrace your family’s style.
Are you quirky and eclectic or far more serious? No matter what your family’s unique style is, you should embrace it for the adoption announcements. You can take silly pictures as a family or opt for the more traditional newborn photo shoots. Create a religious slogan that matches your adoption or a hilarious punchline that will make people laugh. There are no cookie-cutter molds for adoption announcements, so feel free to incorporate your own flair and style.
Get the whole family involved.
Adoption isn’t about just one person. It is about an entire family being brought together through the process. You can choose to represent this through your adoption announcements by adding a few pictures of the whole family. Plan to do some great family portraits on the same day as your adoption finalization. This gives everyone a chance to be involved and gives you a great keepsake from the adoption day. Not to mention, everyone will already be photo-ready because of the court hearing! Include a couple of solo portraits of your new child but remember that the whole family is important in this process too.
Watch your wording.
Many families are intimidated by the idea of having to word their adoption announcements. It can seem almost overwhelming to find the perfect words to say. Instead of discussing a child’s birth date, you need to make it clear that your child has been adopted. Here are some of the most popular introductions for your announcements:
• Worth the Wait
• He’s Here!
• Placed into our arms on __________
• We announce the adoption of _________.
• The best things are worth waiting for.
Sending out adoption announcements is an excellent way to let friends and family members know that your newest addition is officially part of the family. However, you should be certain to wait until the adoption is finalized before sending out your announcements. This is one essential tip that you won’t want to overlook with these cards. Everything else can be extremely flexible and creative, but you don’t want to have to backpedal later on by sending announcements too early.
Apart from that, deciding on what to say and how to share it can be a little overwhelming at first. Remember that these announcements are meant to be a fun way for you to share this important moment with your friends and family. Feel free to get creative, come up with a unique approach, and involve the entire family in your card.
