Preserving Life’s Memories in Photographs

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I’ve often overheard friends and family members mention that they don’t enjoy taking photographs of important events. They believe that if the event is held up by taking photos, then you really aren’t living in the moment and enjoying it. These people believe that you end up living the event after the photos are processed and not during the event itself.

This type of thinking surprises me. Photographs are such an important part of my life that it is amazing that someone would go out of their way not to take photos. In fact, I have photos dating all the way back to the day I was born. I have a pack of photos of myself in Halloween costumes. And there’s a pack of holiday ones and a pack of birthday ones.

Occasionally, I will pull out a pack and just flip through the various pictures. These help me relive the event or moments that are captured in the pictures. It’s such a good feeling. I remember the friends and family members who visited that day, the jokes we shared, and the stuff we did.

I learned a long time ago that sometimes photos and memories are all that we have in life. It might sound doom and gloom but people move on, pass away, move away, or grow apart. By taking photos during events, people are able to revisit and relive those pleasant times of their lives and once again see the people who were there.

It’s this belief, that photos preserve memories and events, that has led me to recommend to friends and family to take photos at every opportunity. Even if you believe it is silly to take the photo, do it. Sometimes all you have is one chance to capture the moment. After all you, don’t want to miss out on capturing memories that you’ll treasure for years to come!

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The Fifth Step of the Adoption Process: Bringing Home the Newest Member

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What has felt like months and months of preparation has finally come to a final stage. It’s what you probably have thoughts years and years about doing and finally decided to take the plunge and do it. It’s the day of the arrival of your newest member of the family.

The fifth step of the adoption process is that of bringing home the newest member of the family.

If you are adopting internationally then you will have flown out and met with the child and brought them back to the states.

However, if you are adopting within the United States there is a bit of a complex and unique experience. Before the birth of the baby you will meet with your adoption coordinator to discuss what will happen when the baby is born. There are many options that the birth mother may decide.

Some of these options include:

The ability to allow the adoptive parents to be present and there for the birth of the child.

The ability to have the adoptive parents at the hospital but not physically at the birth of the child.

The ability to allow the adoptive parents to take the baby right away after the birth.

The ability to allow the birth mother to hold the child afterwords.

The ability to allow the birth mother time with the child and then allow the child to be handed over to the adoptive parents.

A lot of what is decided will depend upon what type of adoption that you are having. An open adoption where all parties know each other and are familiar with each other might allow the adoptive parents to be present while a closed adoption will happen behind closed doors of the hospital so that no one knows who each other is.

Whatever decision is made the most important part of this experience is to enjoy the experience of being a parent and the newest member of your family is finally here!

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Types of Adoptions

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Adoption is just a general word used to describe the process of bringing in a child from another country, place of birth or somewhere else into ones family. It comes from the term to adapt to the family and that is what adoption means.

While adoption is just a general term many people there are actually several different types of adoptions that can take place.

Here is a look at the different types of adoptions that can take place in a family.

Closed Adoptions. Closed adoptions are just that completely closed. Neither side sees or meets with each other and everything is arranged through an agency. When the adoption is finalized the records are sealed and the birth mother is kept private from the child, the adoptive parents and even the public.

Open Adoptions. Open adoptions allow the adoptive parents and child to know the birth parent. They are usually in the child’s life in some capacity either on special occasions through a phone call or some other means. If the birth parents aren’t in the life then there is the ability to view the birth certificate and see who the birth parents are. All of these terms are usually discussed at the time of the adoption and through the agency.

Domestic Adoptions. These refer to adoptions that occur on United States soil. These can either come in the form of infant adoptions either open or closed, or foster care adoptions that help take foster kids and put them into good homes.

International Adoptions. These are where the adoptive parents used an international agency and adopted a child that was born outside of the country. There are many issues that can arise from this type of adoption and the fees and finances involved are a lot higher then those of the domestic kind.

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How To Tell Your Child She Is Adopted

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Questions and doubts arise in minds of parents who wish to adopt. The question that parents fear the most is when and how to tell the child that she is adopted. In truth, it is not and need not be a heart breaking news to tell the child. With a little caution and sympathy, it can be a process as easy as when you buy your clothes online, although not as mechanical.

In telling a child that she is adopted, the ‘when’ factor is more important than the ‘how’. Let the child know that she has been adopted right from the day she steps into your house. Even though the child will not comprehend it immediately, it will be less of a shock when the understanding comes in later years.

The ‘how’ part is a slow, on-going process. Experts believe that parents should tell their child in different ways that she has been adopted, and how wonderful it has been to bring her home. You can tell her how sometimes one mother gives birth and another takes care of the child. You can tell through stories to explain your point. Tell her how you felt the first time you saw her and what she did when you picked her up the first time. The child will then know inherently that she has been brought home rather than given birth to.

The emphasis should be on her rather than on you or the circumstances of the adoption. Every time your child hears the word adoption, she should feel happy and special about the event. Talking freely and keeping the lines of communication open with the child will help both parents and the child accept the situation as something natural. More importantly, it will win the child’s trust.

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Filed Under: Adoption, Child, Family Tagged With: , ,
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