5 Ways to Celebrate National Adoption Month in Arizona
By Jaclyn Prasa
Happy National Adoption Month! If you are a birth mother researching options for your unplanned pregnancy, then this is a great month to learn more about adoption. In honor of November’s celebration, here are a few ways that you can recognize the significance of adoptions at local adoption agencies in Arizona near you!
If you need adoption help now, please call us at 480-900-5520, text us at 602-922-0408 or visit us at Adoption Choices of Arizona
1. Raise Adoption Awareness
First and foremost, adoption month is recognized in November to raise awareness of the thousands of children in foster care waiting to be taken home. It is estimated that there are 407,000 children in foster care nationwide. It was recorded in 2020 that the number of children in foster care has decreased for three years in a row!
This month also supports and recognizes other avenues and kinds of adoption. Mainly, it exists to uplift and celebrates the significant impact and effect that adoption has throughout the community for adoptees, adoptive families, and birth parents. Therefore, you can raise awareness in several ways: get involved in adoption groups, use social media, participate in local events, etc. Enlightening anyone new person on adoption may help bring one more child home.
2. Learn about Adoption and Its History
Adoption is when birth parents cannot properly care for their child, and so an adoptive family raises the child as their own. Methods change based on the circumstances and type of adoption.
If the child is in foster care, that generally means that the birth parent’s parental rights have been terminated. The child will live in an approved foster home or group home through the court system. The court’s objective is to find the child a permanent home. Sometimes the foster family will adopt. In some other cases, birth parents may strive to redeem their parental rights. The ultimate goal is to ensure the child is in a safe and protective home.
Private adoption, which Adoption Choices of Arizona serves, is based on birth parents who actively seek to give up their child for adoption. There may be stigmas involved in private adoptions, but gradually, those ideas are shifting to view adoption as it is; adoption is a generous and selfless act for birth parents. Adoption is an option that allows life for the baby, provides opportunities to the birth parents, and it grows the adoptive family who desperately wants a child to raise and love.
Additionally, the history of adoption is quite interesting. Officially, it began in Ancient Rome. Adoption has progressed over thousands of years. Though, what is rather new is the methodology behind adoption. Established in 1851, adoption tailored itself to the child’s well-being, not the adult’s. While there has been significant evolution since 1851, there is still more work to be done. History shows regardless of the speed of progress, positive advancement within adoption and child care have ultimately improved. With time and care, adoption aims to continue more positive contributions.
3. Learn about the Process of Adoption
If you are a birth mother seeking to place your baby up for adoption, then this is the perfect time to understand the steps involved. Since, Adoption Choices of Arizona is a private adoption agency, the steps listed only pertain to private adoption.
First, you may contact Adoption Choices of Arizona to begin the adoption process. You will be paired with an adoption counselor who will assist you to help you understand the process and creating an adoption plan.
From the moment you decide on adoption before you give an adoption agency a call, it is all in your hands. Your decision and your choice. It is our job and responsibility to support you throughout the process, but everything is up to you.
For instance, this includes choosing the adoptive family and the type of adoption. The type or level of openness you may choose is open, semi-open, or closed adoptions. This relates to the level of openness and communication you wish to maintain with your baby and your chosen adoptive family. This option varies for every birth mother. It’s individual to you and whichever choice you make is the right one. If you wish to have strong communication and interaction, then an open adoption would suit you best. On the other hand, if you wish for a clean break, then a closed adoption is the one for you.
Adoption Choices of Arizona also provides personalized help and financial support while you create an adoption plan. We can offer help with rent or utilities throughout the adoption process and up to six weeks post-placement. Other resources we offer include safe housing, medical care assistance, and emotional support. We treat you with respect and dignity and ensure you receive the birth mother benefit you need. The adoption journey is unique to each person, and we are always here to help you.
4. Read about Adoption
There are countless books or internet articles that will tell you everything and more you need to know about adoption. Some reads may help you understand what you may emotionally suffer during the process. Putting a child up for adoption can be emotionally challenging. Hence why Adoption Choices of Arizona offers emotional support 24/7, even after post-placement. Down the road, if you still need help coping, you can always reach out to us.
Additionally, you can find testimonials from birth mothers, adoptees, or adoptive families that will give you first-hand accounts of the process and overall benefits of adoption. Or maybe you just want to cozy up on the couch with a fictional story about adoption. There are dozens! Just make sure you have some tissues nearby.
5. Find an Adoption Support Group
There are groups that you can find outside of Adoption Choices of Arizona that can help. It may be as simple to find as typing in your search engine, “adoption support groups near me.” While we will be here to support you, it might be helpful to meet other birth parents who have gone through the process. Additionally, if your home life is not as supportive, this may be a great find for you. Having someone to talk to, listen to you, and understand you is incredibly healing. Though, if you are not ready to find an outside support group, you can be certain that we are always here for you.
Consider if Adoption is Right for You
After you research your options for unplanned pregnancy and after learning more about adoption, you may have a better idea of its ethics and impact. Then you can make an informed decision and choose what most resonates with you.
An adoption is a lovely option, but it is also difficult. Placing your baby up for adoption may be the hardest but most loving thing you can do. You can be sure that if you choose adoption, your baby will find a loving family who will be grateful for your generosity. And they will cherish and help your baby grow. For adoption resources or to begin your adoption journey, birth parents can visit us at Adoption Choices of Arizona or call us at or text us at 602-922-0408 . If you are a prospective adoptive family hoping to adopt a baby, please, instead, visit us here!