Adoptive Families Blog

Every stage of hoping-to-adopt comes with many questions, and sometimes those questions are best answered by people who have recently walked where you are today.

What would you most want to ask another Lifetime family? If you sat down with three adoptive moms, what would you want to talk about?

Next Thursday, Lifetime is hosting a free webinar with a panel of three Lifetime adoptive parents. They're eager to answer your questions, as someone hoping to adopt. Ally, Rachel, and Tequila will speak from their families' personal experiences through adoption. This is a great opportunity for any future adoptive parent!

Here at Lifetime, we get asked questions like this one, about how to get family member's support for adoption:

"Our parents and grandparents don't seem to understand open adoption. Yesterday, my dad even asked me why we want the birth family to remain in our lives. How can we help them get on board?"

It's not surprising that your family members are anxious about the idea of an open adoption. After all, your parents are from a different generation, when closed adoption and secrecy were the norm. In the past, birth mothers were typically viewed negatively for being pregnant out of wedlock and for giving away or "abandoning" their children. As for the children, it wasn't common for them to be told they were adopted, let alone for them to have birth parents involved in their lives.

Thankfully, this doesn’t happen very often anymore, because of open adoption. Adoptees grow up with knowledge of their adoption from the start, and birth mother is able to receive updates on her child. Keep reading to get Lifetime's tips on how to gain your family members' support for your open adoption!

What’s it like for men as they wait to become fathers through open adoption? As they support their wives and look forward to their future family, adoptive dads-to-be have their own unique ways of waiting-to-adopt. In this short live video, one of Lifetime’s hopeful adoptive dads, Joe, gives us a view from a man’s perspective.

Choosing to expand a family in any way is beautiful, and adoption touches so many people around the world. Whether a family is choosing adoption after dealing with infertility or just because of a powerful desire to adopt, it can change lives in a huge way for both the adopting family and the adoptive child. Regardless of how a family comes to the decision to adopt, the process of adoption can be a long and hard road with obstacles along the way.

One of the most common topics of worry or question among hopeful adoptive parents is about the home study..."What is a home study?" "How deep will they dig into our lives?" "Do we have to organize every closet and dust every corner?" and "Is there any reason we wouldn't be approved?" are just a few of the frequently-asked questions about adoption home studies.

The home study process exists to assess your ability to be parents. The home study provider is a social worker who is there to help get you ready for adoptive parenting, and to equip you for success. Keep reading to discover what the home study involves. We'll also share an exclusive Lifetime Adoption webinar, all about what you need to know about adoption home studies!

Fathers play an essential role in adoption. In honor of Father’s Day this weekend, we're taking a look at adoption through the eyes of adoptive fathers!

Whether the decision to adopt a child came easily or took some discussion, adoptive dads share the same positive emotions when meeting their child for the first time. If you’re thinking about adopting but are nervous about the process, it's helpful to take a look at what a few of Lifetime's adoptive fathers themselves have to say about their adoption story.

When you're deep in your adoption wait, it always helps to hear from other adoptive parents who have moved through the process recently and to get a little help and encouragement. Know that if it worked for them, it can work for you, and then learn some tips along the way!

We're honored to be sharing Greg and Bethany's beautiful open adoption story today as a part of our blog series "Then and Now." 

As they began their adoption journey with Lifetime, they shared, "We started talking about adopting when we were dating and knew it was a way we wanted to grow our family! Bethany's family is already touched by adoption thorough three of her siblings. We love being parents and are excited and ready to adopt a boy or girl of any race!"

Keep reading to hear Greg and Bethany's cherished adoption journey to their baby! 

Many adoptive parents who are matched with a birth mother get anxiety about whether their adoption might fail. They wonder, "what if she changes her mind about adoption?"  When a birth mother changes her mind before signing legal paperwork, it's known in the adoption world as a "fall-through."

Lifetime encourages you to remember that this risk in adoption is so worth it. After all, taking the chance is how you’ll be led to your child. At Lifetime, our goal is to see you adopt successfully, not just get matched. In most cases, if adoptive parents face a fall-through we will continue to help them to find a successful match. While failed adoptions are less common at Lifetime, because of the way our program supports each side of the adoption match, it’s good to understand why a birth mother might change her mind, and what happens if she does.

Many hopeful adoptive parents would happily welcome the chance to adopt a child who is of a race different than their own.  If you're interested in transracial adoption, there are essential elements to follow so that you can help your child thrive. A few of these include learning about and respecting your child’s culture, and finding ways to support their connections to it.

Today, Lifetime is giving you 4 tips on how you can have a successful transracial adoption!

Most adoptive parents face some challenges during their adoption journey that are best survived through a strong faith in God. We encourage you to walk in faith every day! Put your frustrations in the Lord’s hands. Trust Him to help you become all He plans you to be: wonderful parents for the child He will bring into your life.

Today, Lifetime is sharing 3 effective ways to include your faith in your adoption journey!