I read today that 55% of infant adoptions are now "open", meaning that the birth mother (and/or father) are somewhat involved in the child's life. Open adoptions can range anywhere from once a week visits to an occasional phone date between parents for medical background information. The idea is, in one way or another, the door is open to the birth family. It can be really helpful in terms of knowing your adoptive child's full story (about their relatives, family history, medical info, lineage, etc), but also really confusing for the child and maybe harder for them to fully bond with their forever family.
It makes sense that the rates for open adoptions are drastically higher with infant adoptions. In most cases of infant adoption, the birth mother willfully gives up her child for adoption because she doesn't want to, or cannot raise him or her. With the adoption of older kids, specifically from foster care, it wouldn't be as common since the parents have had parental rights severed. In some cases they're not allowed anywhere near their birth children. So open adoption isn't even an option.
At this point, I'm inclined to want a 100% closed adoption. I'm sure because of the type of adoption we're pursuing, that will be the natural case anyway, but you never know.
Would you want an option adoption?
Would you even consider it?
