Category:Adoption Celebrations

Birth Mother's Day

There are an estimated 6 million adoptees in the US alone– plus the millions elsewhere around the world– and we’ve each got two mothers: the one who parented and the one who gave birth. In our extended and blended families, Mother’s Day can also include foster mothers, stepmothers, and other caregivers with whom we have a mother-child relationship.

Entrustment Ceremony

An Entrustment Ceremony is a ritual in which an adopted child is placed by his or her birth parent(s) with an adoptive family. The ritual signifies the transference of parental responsibilities from the birth to the adoptive parents and helps solidify the role that each individual in the adoption triad will play. It is one way of defining birth parents and adoptive parent roles and creating a sense of closure in the adoption.

Gotcha Day

Gotcha Day is celebrated by some Adoptive Families as the day their adoption was finalized or became “legal.” Each year the family sets aside this day to celebrate the day they legally became a family.

Life Book (Glossary)

An adoption life book plays a number of roles, depending on the type of adoption you do. For adopted infants, it plays the same role as a traditional baby book, but for older children or children adopted internationally, it may tell the story of their life before they came to their forever family, as well as give history and background or their home of origin.

National Adoption Awareness Month (U.S.)

National Adoption Awareness Month is celebrated each November. This month is set aside to both celebrate adoption and educate communities and individuals about adoption. It is an opportunity to raise awareness for children, both internationally and in foster care, who are still waiting for their forever families.

Placement Day

Placement Day is the day that relinquishment paperwork is signed by the Birth Parents. Placement Day is a very difficult day for Birth Parents and is normally a day they will hold in their hearts forever, just like a Birthday. Some adoptive families and birth parents will recognize this day once a year and the selfless sacrifice the Birth Parents made.

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