Closed Adoption in Arizona
What exactly is closed adoption in Arizona? And is it right for you?
As you prepare to welcome a child to your family through adoption, you’re going to have to make a lot of decisions.
You’ll choose whether you’d like to adopt a boy or a girl, whether you’d like your child to share the same heritage as you and what type of family medical history you’re comfortable with.
You’ll also have to decide how much communication you’ll share with your child’s birth family – and whether you’ll pursue a closed adoption in Arizona.
If you’d like to talk with someone now about your options regarding your child’s adoption, you can reach out to American Adoptions anytime by calling 1-800-ADOPTION. Our team would love the opportunity to talk with you about welcoming a child through adoption.
What is Closed Adoption in Arizona?
If you’re curious about how to define closed adoption in Arizona, you’re in luck. The definition is actually pretty simple. A closed adoption in Arizona means that after your child’s adoption takes place, you will not have any communication with your child’s birth parents. Generally, you won’t even exchange last names. This information will all be kept private.
Closed Adoption Facts in Arizona
With a closed adoption in Arizona, children who are adopted will have no way to connect with their birth parents. If they grow up and have questions about their adoption – including why they were placed for adoption – they won’t be able to find these answers.
Most modern adoptions are open adoptions. This means that children will grow up not only knowing about their birth parents but also having the opportunity to talk with them.
The decision to choose open or closed adoption in Arizona is up to the birth mother. They’ll have the opportunity to decide whether they’d like to talk with their child’s adoptive family as their child grows up or if they’d prefer not to have contact.
Birth mothers may choose closed adoption in Arizona for many reasons. Sometimes a birth mother may be in an unsafe situation. They might want to keep their adoption decision private. Sometimes, a birth mother may want to move on and believes that choosing closed adoption in Arizona will enable that to happen.
What About Open Adoption?
As you consider the closed adoption definition in Arizona, keep in mind that there is an alternative to keeping an adoption closed.
You can pursue open adoption.
Open adoption means that you’ll have regular communication with your child’s birth mother throughout their life.
There are many benefits to open adoption, including the opportunity to get to know your child’s birth mother – and in some cases, birth father.
Sometimes, adoptive families are nervous about the idea of open adoption because they don’t know what it means. Adoptive families are sometimes concerned that open adoption means their child’s birth mother will regret their adoption decision. In fact, the opposite is true!
Birth mothers want to know they made the right decision in choosing adoption for their child. If they can watch their child grow up with loving parents and happy experiences, they’ll know that they made the right choice.
Lindsey and Michael are one adoptive family who pursued open adoption.
When this adoptive family made the decision to adopt, they weren’t really sure what to expect.
“I just wish I had known it wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be,” Lindsey said. “I’m glad everything happened the way it did because we were matched with our son, and I feel like it was meant to be.”
Open adoption means that Lindsey and Michael have communication with their son’s birth mother.
“I just had no idea what it would look like,” Lindsey remembers. “But, once we were matched and met Dominic’s birth mom, I was just like, ‘Oh, I could 100 percent see seeing her on an annual basis — or even more than that.”
The amount and type of contact varies based on each family. You can communicate with your child’s birth parents by writing letters, sending emails or calling on the phone. Some families meet in person every year.
The most important thing to remember when you’re considering open or closed adoption in Arizona is that no two adoptions are completely alike.
Talk with your child’s birth mother about the type of communication that will work best for them. Maybe your child’s birth mother will ask for occasional phone calls. They might want annual visits. You might find that your child’s birth mother simply wants you to mail them pictures.
When you’re ready to consider adoption for your family, reach out to American Adoptions by calling 1-800-ADOPTION. Our team would love the chance to talk with you about the closed adoption pros and cons in Arizona.
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