One of the first things to come up when someone shares their family’s adoption story is the way they met the child’s birth mother. In this modern era of adoption, an adoptive parent’s personal network is becoming a valuable key to connecting with a woman researching adoption for a baby.
Consider these recent stories from new adoptive parents:
“Our world changed over the weekend. A family friend reached out to us and asked if we would be willing to adopt her baby. We are matched!”
“We were asked to answer questions for a woman at our church going through an unexpected pregnancy. Some mutual friends knew that we had adopted before and might help her better understand what adoption is like today. After a while, she asked us to adopt her baby, since she loved seeing us with our daughter. We are so glad we are open about adoption in our lives!”
“A friend’s daughter asked us if we would adopt her baby, but it wasn’t quite the right fit for all of us. However, we knew some friends of friends who were also hoping to adopt and connected her with them. They’ve become so close and we feel blessed knowing we were part of helping them find each other.”
“Our son’s birth mother’s mom talked with someone at her own church, who happened to say something to someone from our church. Our church friend remembered us and sent our website to her. It was amazing how we came together for this sweet boy!”
All of these stories started with a mutual connection between the adoptive parents and birth mother. You NEVER KNOW who may be thinking about adoption in your own circle, or in the circle of people your friends and family know. It helps to talk about your adoption plans with the people in your life. When people know you’re hoping to adopt they will have you in mind when they know a pregnant woman in need of adoption information.
Don’t underestimate the value of your personal network while you search for the right match with a birth mother. Here are 5 tips for using your personal network in your adoption search:
- Share your adoption website or Facebook page on your personal social media profiles.
- Ask your friends and family to share your link or page on their profiles too!
- When loved ones ask how they can help you, give them a couple of your adoption profiles or a handful of your adoption cards to share when they have opportunities to talk about your adoption.
- Host a fundraiser event where people know the proceeds will help you to adopt; answer questions and share your story as people support you.
- Be willing to talk to people about what you know about adoption today; even a conversation with a stranger at the grocery store could become a connection to your future child’s birth mother.
For more information about getting the word out about your adoption plans visit the Networking section of your Adoption for Life Membership Site.
