When families are in the adoption process, one of the things they sometimes look forward to is creating their profile that birth mothers will see to learn more about them. It is something tangible you can create and see progress on, something that can be a challenge at times in adoption.
Your profile may take many forms, including:
- Hard copy profile for sharing
- Online website
- Facebook page
- Adoption cards
- One page profile
In all of these, the single most important thing is that they reflect what makes you unique and gives a birth mother a reason to choose you as parents for her baby. Here are some reasons that birth mothers have shared for choosing a particular family, or things they were looking for:
- “I am looking for a family who is musical. My grandma taught me piano when I was little and my whole family sings or plays instruments. I think my baby will have natural talent in this way.”
- “We want a family who is Catholic and will ensure their child has the holy sacraments.”
- “I liked them because on their website they talked about getting together with me once a year and telling their child about me. That made me feel like they would remember me and make sure I’m not forgotten.”
- “I picked out a few families I liked, and then I showed them to my boyfriend. He was the one who made the final decision and he wanted to be sure to talk to them first.”
- “I am helping my daughter and we are looking for a family who lives in California and values education.”
A profile isn’t about checking all of the boxes above, but it is expressing who you are and what you have to offer beyond love and family. All adoptive families can say that, so spend some time really thinking about what makes YOU stand out from the crowd and give a birth mother a reason to pick YOU!
