4 Things people get wrong about birth fathers in Arizona
By Kelly Paczkowski
Placing your baby for adoption tends to expose generalizations regarding adoption for all involved. Whether they’re based on experience or media exposure, assumptions can affect your decision-making for an adoption plan. As you assess Adoption agencies in Arizona, understanding some of the misconceptions behind birth fathers could prove enlightening knowledge. Often overlooked figures in the adoption process, birth fathers rarely receive the same level of empathy as birth mothers. Instead, they tend to have poor reputations due to commonly held negative assumptions.
We at Adoption Choices of Arizona believe that dispelling adoption myths is important for making more informed decisions during your journey. Free consultation is available for pregnant moms and birth mothers considering adoption for their baby. Let’s dissect some of the misconceptions surrounding birth fathers to better understand their potential role in an adoption plan. If you’re wondering how to give a baby up for adoption, read to the end to learn more.
1. Birth fathers aren’t an important presence in the adoption process
It’s easy to assume that birth fathers would be on the outside looking in during adoption proceedings. Without the burden of carrying the baby themselves, people often conclude that their input lacks validity or weight. For a large portion of birth parents, this could not be further from the truth. Many birth fathers share the decision-making equally with their pregnant counterparts, regardless of the relationship’s status. Decisions in the adoption process can be challenging, and birth fathers often provide additional support during the journey’s crossroads. Simply running your thoughts by the birth father can help you feel more secure in your adoption decisions going forward.
Birth fathers desire involvement more than many birth mothers realize, so utilizing their personal stake in the adoption is worthwhile. Healthy collaboration between birth parents can be a key to achieving the best adoption outcome for the child. Together, they often find adoption plans that go hand in hand with what each desires from their adoption experience.
2. Birth fathers don’t want to care for their child
An uncaring or apathetic attitude is commonly associated with a birth father putting his child up for adoption. People may think that he is uninterested in caring for a child and simply wishes to maintain his status quo. The reality is usually quite different, with birth fathers everywhere struggling to digest such a personally challenging outcome. Adoption is by no means a way for birth fathers to “escape” dealing with the responsibility of raising a child. Strong paternal instincts make accepting adoption a difficult task for many men involved in an unplanned pregnancy. It would be a mistake to believe that birth fathers do not share in the instinctual struggle birth mothers experience.
In most instances, birth fathers accept adoption because they do not currently have the means to properly raise a child. Every adoption decision has a quality of selflessness, and this trait is not absent in birth fathers.
3. They lack interest in having contact with their child or adoptive family
The choice to accept or deny contact with the adoptive family is present in all Arizona adoptions. It is a complicated decision that birth mothers carefully weigh with many future considerations. Choosing an open adoption leaves the door open for birth mothers to contact their children as they grow up. However, birth mothers aren’t the only ones who may find this adoption option appealing. Birth fathers also often hold a desire to stay in contact with their child and adoptive family post-birth. Many outsiders may not realize that they often feel compelled to maintain a stake in their child’s life. Letting go is not an action birth fathers take lightly, so they shouldn’t be surprised when they select open adoption plans.
Though they’re sacrificing their ability to raise their children, they may still seek a presence in their children’s lives. Assuming that birth fathers don’t want to stay in touch with their children could be wildly incorrect. It would be wise for birth mothers to check whether the birth father is potentially interested in this path.
4. They don’t have the same emotional investment as birth mothers
Accepting adoption is no easy decision for either birth parent. The psychological well-being of birth mothers is rightfully emphasized during and after the adoption process. There can be an abundance of inner turmoil afflicting their well-being, and seeing to their care is essential. But why shouldn’t a comparable level of awareness be applied to birth fathers? It may surprise some to learn that they also experience an avalanche of complicated feelings associated with an adoption decision.
The desire to be a parent and provider leads many birth fathers to distress during this time. Their emotional investment should not be taken for granted, so take their input seriously. Adoption Choices of Arizona can link you to post-placement counseling and support groups if you need more help.
Making adoption in Arizona work for you
Every adoption story plays out differently, and no two birth parents will have the same role. Knowing how a birth father can assist in the adoption process could give your story a more satisfying conclusion. You have a number of choices to consider when looking at Adoption agencies in Arizona. With
Adoption Choices of Arizona, you can access personalized help and financial support today for creating an adoption plan. To address more common misconceptions 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 a prospective adoptive family hoping to adopt a baby, please instead visit us here!
