Adoption. It is something so beautiful. 

I have been involved with other family’s adoptions for the past two years now working as an Adoption Case Manager at Gateway Woods. I have been able to follow families through the process from the beginning stages of hearing about Gateway, to working through the home study and training, and eventually the post placement visits. It has been a blessing to see the commitment of these families, and their desire to do this for God’s glory and in His name. 

One couple that has adopted recently stated, 

"We were greatly encouraged by the body of Christ reaching out with financial support, praying for our family, and welcoming [our daughter] with open arms."

With this in mind, I want to share some of the ways that I have seen how the community can play a vital role in an adopting family’s life. 

During these last two years, I have come to see how important it is for a family moving towards adoption to feel support from those around them. There are numerous ways to do this, ranging from bringing meals to them, to offering to give the parents time with their new child by babysitting biological children, and so many other creative acts of kindness. One of the biggest ways a community can assist through the adoption is to support the adoptive family’s decisions.

What do I mean? One example is that sometimes when a family completes an adoption, it is important that they take time to attach to the new child. This can be confusing to the family and friends looking in from the outside. They want to meet this new child, to give him or her hugs, and help the adopting parents. However, depending on the situation, that may not be the best thing for the family. This is sometimes called, "cocooning" — it is a time for the family to come together just by themselves so that the child can bond to the parents, since he or she did not experience that at birth. Even if the child was adopted at birth, he or she still missed out on nine crucial months of bonding with the mother during pregnancy. 

There may be other decisions adopting parents make that seem different to family and friends. In my experience, families appreciate when others are respectful and supportive of these choices. Parents are often open and desire to talk about these decisions with friends and family.  

The second greatest need that adopting families often experience is the financial commitment that bringing a child into the family requires. Random donations to adopting parents are almost always appreciated, as well as meals, cards, and other gifts. If you would do it for a biological birth, don’t hesitate to support an adopting family in this way! 

There are so many ways that we can be living water to adopting families. As the body of Christ, we all have gifts and talents. Let’s use them to bless others!