What is openness in adoption?

We believe in maintaining a connection between the birth family and adoptive family.  The adoptive family will send letters and pictures to you every month for the first six months.  After six months, you and the adoptive family will meet.  Following this visit, the adoptive parents will remain in contact with you through letters and pictures no less than twice a year and most families continue to grow their relationship with visits once or twice a year.

Every spring New Life hosts a “Kinship Picnic” where adoptive families and birth families come together and enjoy spending time with each other.  It is important for the birthparents to stay in contact to make this kind of relationship work.

Some birthparents feel that maintaining contact would make their loss more painful.  We believe that you will find this to be just the opposite.  Women who don’t allow themselves to grieve, heal and face the reality of their situation may find that they never really get over the adoption experience.  We have many women who have chosen to make an adoption plan and they and would love to talk with you and share with you about their experience.

Although we believe that some contact is healthy for everyone involved in adoption, we will listen to your wishes and will help you find the contact and relationship that you will be comfortable with.  We will not push you to do anything that you are not comfortable with.

The level of communication that you desire will be personalized for your needs.