No for Adoption?

But why? Whenever someone hears “adoption” they literally show fear. So let's see what ADOPTION really means and what it says.

By Book, adoption is a social and legal process by which a parent-child relationship is formed between persons unrelated by birth. So this sometimes makes it difficult for a couple to adopt a child because they are not related by birth. But this also doesn't mean that it is a smooth process and everyone can adapt to this situation easily. Adoption is a lengthy process and can take some time. Few studies have shown that children who are adopted very early in their life have more positive outcomes than children adopted later in life. The majority of adopted children adjust effectively and their parents report considerable satisfaction with their decision to adopt. It is also seen that there is no difference in the self-esteem of adopted and non-adopted children.

Everyone has their own perception of adoption and their own reasons to adopt. Some adopt because they don’t have their own biological child but really want one, while some adopt solely because they want to help a child in need.

I remember asking a friend about his thoughts on Adoption. He felt that adoption is not a good idea because he won’t be able to love the child as he would love his own. While another friend said that he would love to help a child in need of a lovely home and caring parents. Someone also felt that what if the adopted child wasn’t born into a good family and hence would grow up to be a nuisance or a big problem? Everyone has their own views on this subject. Some are open to adoption while others aren’t.

Now let us take a walk through the early stages of adopted children-

Parents just need to be caring, supportive in nature, monitor their child's behaviour, be good communicators. While doing this parents may face some special experiences during the development of the child.

During Infancy- which is the early attachment period, it may become an issue if a couple has fertility issues or the child does not meet parents' expectations but this can be resolved with some external help.

In early childhood when a child is 4-6 years old they begin to ask questions like where they came from. Parents can start talking about adoption in simple ways. Some parents decide not to tell - but this secrecy may create a risk if the child finds out about this later in life.

In middle and late childhood children begin to show interest in their origins, parents have to trust their child and answer honestly and openly. And these things are very normal to happen so being honest with your child is the best advice.

The adolescent stage is quite an identity search for a child. Few children may also want to search for their biological parents or they also might spot physical differences between adopted parents and themselves. During this period parents have to be supportive and patient while identity exploration is going on.

While writing this blog we came across a very well-said quote, “family is not defined by our genes but it is built and maintained through love, because parenthood requires love, not DNA.”

There are 31 million orphans in India, but only 50,000 are eligible for adoption.

From 2020 to 2022, around 9,000 children in India were adopted, according to the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). As of September 2022, 1,800 children are up for adoption.

Take just a little extra care and your adopted child will bloom beautifully. So let’s hope the adoption rate increases and many more children get loving and supporting homes.

- Creativekid_and_more