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Sunday, November 12, 2006

National Adoption Awareness Month

We're in the middle of November and I feel remiss that I have yet to mention that it's National Adoption Awareness Month. It's interesting--it feels like all awareness concerning infertility, paths to parenthood, and prematurity are crammed into the fall. I'm trying to figure out if there is a reason behind this: did they place all these awareness days, weeks, and months together so organizations could cross-promote each other's programs? Is fall an undesirable or a desirable time to have an awareness day?

Regardless, we are currently in the middle of National Adoption Awareness Month and even if it is not the path to parenthood that you have chosen, you can still jump in there and celebrate. Not everyone who adopts has experienced infertility, but it is one of the paths out of infertility.

So what can you do to promote awareness about adoption during National Adoption Awareness Month?

Educate yourself

  • choose a few blogs off the blogroll and begin reading first-hand accounts of domestic or international adoption.
  • Start collecting materials or attend a lecture in order to decide whether adoption is the right path for your family.
  • Write one of the peer counselors of the Peer Infertility Counselor list and ask a few questions.
  • Read NACAC's Education Guide along with their larger publication to raise awareness during National Adoption Awareness Month.

Educate others

  • take the words "just adopt" out of someone's mouth and replace it with factual information about domestic or international adoption.
  • Suggest a book for your book club dealing with the theme of adoption in order to bring up a larger discussion in a more relaxed setting.
  • If you have children, introduce the concept of adoption by choosing picture books that broach the topic.

Weigh in with other ideas of how people can get involved with National Adoption Awareness Month.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've found adoption can be a great path to parenthood. It is not entirely an end to pains of infertility though. Years of inferitility changed me and the ways I thought about things. I'm a different parent because of it.

The thing that really turned me on was when my adoption agency gave me a check list to becoming a parent. "I can do that!" Thank goodness my infertility specialist was unable to provide such a clear path-I'd never have become mom to the two beauties I have now.

I'm truly pleased with the way things turned out. I've found the adoption journey has held far more excitement, thrills and satisfaction than the infertility journey could ever have promised.

Anonymous said...

Nice PSA!

Our path to our son, despite the hoops inherent in the adoption process, was an amazing way to become a parent.

Thanks for the plug!