National Adoption Day

This coming Saturday is National Adoption Day, where courts across the U.S. will finalize thousands of adoptions of children in foster care. According to the official National Adoption Day site, over 25,000 children have been adopted from foster care on this day over the past 10 years. It's also a day of celebration for families who adopt.

As a birth mother, the day comes and goes with mixed feelings. I hope my daughter is celebrated in her family, big time. Like any mother would, I want her to feel a sense of belonging, and to feel cherished. It's hard for me to personally celebrate an event that separated us....but at the same time, I want her to have the best celebration party in the whole entire world.

I think the original intent for National Adoption Day was to complete foster care adoptions and get them moved through the legal system. I wasn't aware of that aspect of it until I visited the official site to get information on Adoption Day celebrations for an article I was writing for Peppers & Pollywogs. I thought it was just a day that adoptive families celebrate with their kids. I think it can be both.

I'm not sure where birth parents fit into National Adoption Day. In open adoptions, it would definitely be appropriate to acknowledge the birth parents on any day that focuses on the child's adoption. Beyond that, we can use all this public focus on adoption to reflect on our stories, have conversations about our experiences, and continue to advocate for ethics and openness in adoption. You know, the same as any other day.