Adoption and Grandparents in Arizona
When writing or reading about adoption in Arizona, much of our focus is devoted to exploring the relationship between birth parents and their children. For birth mothers everywhere, the adoption process is a stressful period of time filled with uncertainty. When you are focused on handling many of adoption’s larger questions, such as who will care for your child and how much of a relationship you will share with them, there are a lot of smaller questions that not everybody thinks about. Grandparents, for example, are an excellent topic often glossed over when thinking about adoption. Adoption and grandparents, however, can go hand in hand if you choose to incorporate them into your Arizona adoption plan.
At Adoption Choices of Arizona, we value what you want for your child above all else, and making a personalized adoption plan that’s right for you is our number one priority. If you think this plan could involve your child’s grandparents, then there are a few things you should know about adoption and grandparents.
What will My Child’s Relationship with Their Grandparents be like?
The relationship between adoptive family and birth mother in an open adoption is often the focus of your attention. However, in some cases, you may want to consider asking your child’s adoptive family about what they feel is an appropriate level of involvement for the child’s biological grandparents. It is common for birth mothers to have preferences about this, and it is something worth discussing with the adoptive family. If you feel concerned about whether or not birth grandparents will be able to visit or communicate with their grandchild, Adoption Choices of Arizona encourages you to discuss this when deciding on what level of communication and interaction you wish to have in an open adoption.
In some circumstances, visits may not be a viable option. This can be for a number of reasons, either due to long-distance travel, the adoptive family’s preferences, or even travel restrictions during the pandemic in 2021. If this is the case, you might want to consider talking about your parents in a letter to your child. Communication via letter is common between birth mother and child in a semi-open and open adoption, and this is an excellent place to talk about yourself, where you come from, and how you were raised. All of these tie into your hopes and dreams for your child’s future, and the way your parents treated you will certainly influence how you will treat your child.
It is important to keep in mind, however, that these types of communication are only made possible through open adoption, and a closed adoption will not allow your child to know their grandparents, let alone their birth parents, as they grow up. If you value the role your child’s grandparents may play in his or her life, then you may want to seriously consider choosing an open adoption.
How will My Child’s Grandparents React to the Adoption?
It is very common for birth mothers to want to hide their pregnancy and adoption from others for fear of being judged or ridiculed — especially in the case of an unplanned pregnancy. It is important for you to decide how and when you want to talk to your parents about your adoption. Keeping any news about an adoption hidden from your parents is an option, but it could also be depriving you of emotional support from those you love in a very stressful time. This is why Adoption Choices of Arizona recommends that “you share the information with those close to you when you feel comfortable.”
It is entirely possible that your child’s grandparents will be grateful to know their grandchild through an open adoption, and with the growing presence of open adoption in America today, it is becoming more and more common for these types of families to interact with one another. Ultimately, the call is yours to make on who gets to know about your adoption, but if you believe your parents would appreciate knowing their grandchild, then there is no reason you shouldn’t consider approaching them about it once you feel the time is right to do so.
Adoption and Grandparents in Arizona
Ultimately, we understand that adoption is a complicated process with lots of variables. Our job at Adoption Choices of Arizona is to give you the resources you need to navigate them all. Much of the information we can provide you with involves the “bigger picture” of securing you a safe place to have your pregnancy and helping you file all the necessary legal paperwork to finalize the adoption. However, the role your child’s grandparents play in the adoption might be a detail worth examining, and we are happy to do so if it will help you along the way in your adoption process.
For adoption resources or to begin your adoption journey, birth parents can visit us at Adoption Choices of Arizona or call or text us at 1-480-900-5520. If you are an prospective adoptive family hoping to adopt a baby, please instead, visit us here!
Meet the Author: Josh Drogemuller is a Senior at Grand Valley State University and has interests in writing and digital studies. A relative newcomer to the field of professional writing, Josh has spent the last eight years of his educational career honing his skills on the page. Josh is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Writing.
Living in the Midwest, Josh looks forward to long baseball games and longer sentences.
