How to Pay for Adoption
September 11, 2021
Sutton's Story
February 12, 2022Since your adoption profile is the first chance birth parents get to “meet you,” it is important to keep this profile centered around children. Stories should always try to relate and show a connection with kids. Pictures give a face to the people they are reading about and the stories you are telling.
Adoption Portfolio Guide
You’ve begun your adoption journey, and now you need to know what to include in your adoption portfolio! While it can seem overwhelming at first, every step you complete is just one step closer to adopting a child.
This article discusses all the necessary items that are imperative to include in your adoption portfolio. You will want to be sure to be very detail-oriented, so you don’t miss a thing. Think of this as a guide about what to include in your adoption portfolio to set yourself up for success.
Adoption Portfolio
An adoption portfolio is a book created physically or virtually for prospective adoptive parents to share with potential birth moms and families. This book is one of the most important, albeit challenging, parts of the process. You are, in essence, writing a profile that prospective birth parents will look at to choose a family and can likely increase your chances of getting selected. Every adoption profile will be different, but overall, there are vital things to include that have been known to help families stand out and be chosen.
1. Your Story
Now is the time to stand out from the crowd. What makes you ideal adoptive parents? What do you like to do? Ensure to include what your family is like and what kind of life you can offer their child. Birth parents will go through numerous adoption portfolios, so let your personality shine bright. Show them get to know what kind of family would be adopting their child. You will want to set yourself apart and portray your life and family snapshots to them through the portfolio.
2. Interests and Hobbies
Birth parents need to understand the type of parents they are choosing for their child. In an adoption portfolio, you need to form a portrait of yourself and your family. Include things like what you like to do for fun, hobbies, and interests will help create that picture.
While many people may think to simply list their interests, it is best to dive deeper. Include details and create a story that helps to introduce you to them. Through stories, you can appeal to prospective birth parents and really stand out.
For example, if you like to travel, talk about a recent trip. Get detailed, talk about the smells, the sounds, the sights, things that appeal to the senses and made the trip memorable. From kayaking down a river to hiking the great outdoors and breathing in the wondrous smells of the pine trees, describe the experiences.
3. Values
While we are not suggesting you preach your values to birth parents, it is essential to talk about what you believe in, what is important to you as a person, and what you hope to pass on to your child.
The best way to do this is to talk about it. If the arts are important to you, discuss plans to enroll your child in dance or music lessons. If your family is important to you, talk about family gatherings such as holidays or celebrations. What do you do during these gatherings, and how does it fills your soul? Do you have special family traditions you hope to pass down to your child?
Education is a valuable topic to touch on. Include your hopes for your child, whether you plan for them to go to college or how you will help them pursue their dreams. Whether it is religion, family, friendships, etc., make sure to let your values come through.
It’s essential to include photos of any of these moments that capture your values. Include captions so birth parents know what and who they are looking at in the pictures.
4. Neighborhood Home
What does your house look like, and what makes your house a home? Is it in a neighborhood or on large acreage, or do you live in the city? Will your home provide a safe space for the child? These are the types of questions birth parents will have.
Paint them a picture, and better yet, include a few as well. While they are not looking for the square footage of your home, include photos of a large backyard if you have one for the child to play in or pictures from the neighborhood park around the corner they can go to and meet new friends.
For prospective adoptive parents who may have a room prepared, include it. Birth parents want to know their child will have a safe space to grow in and be ready for a child.
5. Experience with Children
Do you have experience with children? If you already have kids, talk about what you do with them. Tie in stories of them and talk about kids as much as possible. This is another imperative place to include photos. Whether you are having a dance party in the kitchen, doing arts and crafts, or taking a stroll at the farmers market, pictures show the connections you have to your kids.
If you do not have any kids yet, and this will be your first, discuss what you can’t wait to do with them. From morning walks with your dog to watching them splash in the pool. Paint them a picture of your excitement to have kids.
If you have relatives who have kids, talk about how they will have lots of cousins to play with as well as family friends who have children that you love hanging out with at the park. Though you may not have kids of your own yet, discuss any connections with kids that you do.
6. Adoption Thoughts and Connections
What led you to adoption, and what does adoption mean to you and your family? While infertility may be a part of your story, keep it brief. It is essential to share what may have been what led you to adopt, but do not let that be the focus on why you are adopting. Focus on why you want to have a child and how adopting is the best choice for your family.
For those with family or friends who have adopted, include your connection to them. Many birth parents are entering a new realm themselves with the adoption process. Talk about what adoption looks like through families who have adopted that you know. This may help to put their minds at ease by walking them through personal experiences you may have with it.
7. Parenting Thoughts and Childcare Plans
Birth parents must make one of the most challenging choices, choosing parents to adopt their child. Make sure you are clear about how you want to raise them, nurture them, and care for them. Address the fears birth parents may have and show them how what you have to offer their child.
Here, you also want to talk about your parenting plans for the future once you bring the child home. Do both parents work full time, will the child go to daycare, is there a stay-at-home parent? Be truthful and don’t just paint a pretty picture of what you think the birth parents want to hear. Open adoption keeps you connected, so do not make promises and altered visions for the future.
8. The Future
One of the most vital things to include is what kind of relationship you hope to have with your child’s birth parents? A section should be dedicated to this as birth parents who choose open adoption still want that openness in the future. How will you maintain it? Will it be through letters, emails, phones calls, zoom, and personal visits? Layout what you have in mind to keep that connection as you want to find birth parents who are like-minded in how you both will maintain the relationship.
What do you plan for the child’s future? What are the opportunities you wish to give their child? Whether you plan to show the child the world and travel often or have them involved in sports and activities, lay out your vision in this section.
9. A Final Thanks
While many may title this section “Our Promise To You,” it is best not to. Promises can go unkept and broken; the future is unknown, so to make such a promise is a bit much. Since you do not have a relationship with the birth parents and know nothing about them, now is not the time for commitments.
Sum up the key points you discussed earlier in the portfolio, and most importantly, thank the expecting birth parents for reading your portfolio. Mention how you look forward to a possible future together.
Since your adoption profile is the first chance birth parents get to “meet you,” it is important to keep this profile centered around children. Stories should always try to relate and show a connection with kids. Pictures give a face to the people they are reading about and the stories you are telling.
Your adoption profile is one of the most important things you will put together, giving a glimpse into your lives for expectant birth parents who are looking for a loving family to adopt their child. Think about what you would want if the roles were reversed and let your heart shine bright.
