I love goals, resolutions, and anything that gets you reflecting on your life: The good the bad and the areas that could be freshened up. I regularly take inventory and check in on how I am living my life. I then make choices to help create the best possible life for where I am at the moment. The end of the year is a super popular time to reflect and take inventory about how things are going. When is a better time to look at how your adoption journey is going and gather some ideas to breathe some life back into one of your most important chapters?

Without further ado, here are 11 adoption-related resolution to get you thinking for the new year!

1. Attend an adoption support group. Making friends with people in similar places will make your journey so much richer.

2. If you can’t find a support group you like, create your own!

3. Read 3 adoption related books for enjoyment.

In case you need some recommendations . . .

4. Donate or volunteer at your local foster closet.

5. Get your foster training hours done before they are due.

6. Spruce up your kids’ adoption library.

7. Take more pictures at birth family visits.

8. Participate in the private adoption groups you are a part of on Facebook. Your story is valuable. You are the key player in your journey and you can help someone else just by sharing.

9. Be more deliberate in your birth family updates. If you are in a situation where you are giving regular updates, and the relationship hasn’t blossomed yet, updates can get stale and feel like a chore. Dial in and give a really good update along with some pictures more often than not.

10. Create that online profile you have been putting off. You never know who is looking for you.

11. Count your blessings. Adoption is lifelong and challenging. Take the time to think about everything that is working and how far you have come. Write it down, and look at how much you already have.

12. Do the thing that scares you. Maybe, it’s reaching out for the first time since the hospital. Maybe, it’s going to the information meeting. Maybe, it’s starting the next home study or attending a “meet the children” event. Make this year your year. Take charge or your journey. Step out of your comfort zone.

13. Become a mentor for foster youth.

14. Go the extra mile. For the family you have, for the family your haven’t met yet, and for yourself. You are worth it!

 

Are you considering placing a child for adoption? Not sure what to do next? First, know that you are not alone. Visit Adoption.org or call 1-800-ADOPT-98 to speak to one of our Options Counselors to get compassionate, nonjudgmental support. We are here to assist you in any way we can.