When you choose adoption, you don’t have to say goodbye to your child forever. Open adoption in Idaho gives you the chance to communicate with your child’s adoptive parents and see your child grow and develop.

If you have questions about open adoption vs. closed adoption in Idaho, you can contact an adoption professional online at any time.

Here are three benefits of openness in adoption:

1. Prospective birth parents can continue to be a part of their child’s life
2. Adoptive parents can often become lifelong friends with their child’s birth parents
3. Adoptees develop a healthy sense of identity through open adoption

On the other hand, even though 90% of all adoptions in the U.S. are open adoptions or semi-open adoptions it may not be the best option for you. If you would prefer to place your child with an adoptive family and move on with your life after adoption, that’s OK. You can maintain your privacy and move forward with your life through a closed adoption.

This article can answer some of your basic questions about open vs. closed adoption in Idaho.

What Does an Open Adoption Mean in Idaho?

You may have heard the myth that adoption means you will never see your child again, but that isn’t true. Open adoption means that you and your child’s adoptive parents create a communication plan. This plan is not a legal document in most states, which is why it’s important to find adoptive parents that you can trust and get to know long-term if you’re comfortable with doing so.

Here are examples of types of communication that you can have with open adoption in Idaho:

• Phone calls
• Emails
• In-person visits
• Video calls
• Letters

You can agree to meet with your child and their adoptive family twice a year and have video calls once a month. If you’re not comfortable with visits and phone calls, you can ask for mailed letters with pictures of your child or email updates once a year.

Your open adoption communication plan can begin as soon as you choose your child’s perfect adoptive parents. Even if your baby hasn’t been born yet, you can use this time to get to know one another when you want openness in adoption.

Heather and Alex, birth parents, chose open adoption for their youngest son and shared a letter that they wrote to him.

“Choosing open adoption helped me cope better with my decision. I got to see pictures of you right away after we detached from the hospital,” they said. “I will forever remember the few days after we signed our paperwork over; it happened to be the day of my birthday. Now, I celebrate my birthday as the day I became a birth mom.”

“It’s been almost six years, and your mom has sent me endless pictures and love. I love seeing your smiles, projects, sports and school photos. She does an amazing job, and I couldn’t thank her enough. I cannot wait until the day you get to meet your siblings! I’m glad you guys know of each other and know one day you’ll unite for a picture. Adoption is a choice — the choice to give life.”

How Does an Open Adoption Work in Idaho?

Having an open adoption in Idaho may be easier than you think. You can choose open adoption at any time during your pregnancy and you only need to communicate in a way that makes you comfortable. There are five basic steps to the open adoption process:

Step 1: Get the facts about open adoption vs. closed adoption

Step 2: Contact an open adoption agency

Step 3: Find your baby’s perfect adoptive parents and get to know them

Step 4: Give birth and spend time together with your baby and their adoptive parents

Step 5: Continue your open adoption communication plan after adoption placement

You don’t have to find open adoption opportunities on your own. When you contact an open adoption agency, you can get help from your adoption specialist to decide the amount and frequency of openness in adoption that makes you comfortable.

Open Adoption vs. Closed Adoption in Idaho

Although 90% of all adoptions in the U.S. are open adoptions or semi-open adoptions, that may not be the best adoption option for you. Through open adoption, you get to choose the amount of contact that you want with your child and their adoptive family. But, through closed adoption in Idaho, you don’t share any of your personal, contact information. You still get to choose your child’s adoptive parents and you have all of the same adoption rights in a closed vs. open adoption.

A closed adoption in Idaho can bring a certain amount of closure to some birth parents. They understand the fact that they are brave and selfless, and they have the peace of mind in knowing that their child will have a safe and loving home.

But, in a closed adoption, birth parents feel that they need the finality that comes with not having contact with their child and the adoptive parents that they chose. Closed adoption in Idaho is a personal choice that approximately 10% of birth parents still choose today.

Open Adoption Agencies in Idaho

An open adoption agency chooses to work with hopeful adoptive parents and prospective birth parents who want an open adoption. Communication throughout the adoption process can create the best possible adoption experience for you, your child’s adoptive parents and your child.

Here are a few options for adoption agencies in Idaho:

• American Adoptions
• A New Beginning
• A Giving Tree Adoptions Inc.
• Adoption Life

Open adoption agencies understand that when prospective birth parents and hopeful adoptive parents are willing to accept open adoption then they accept the benefits of communication on the child’s growth and development. The more support that birth parents and adoptive parents can give each other, the more the child will learn to understand their identity as an adoptee.

Disadvantages of Open Adoption in Idaho

Open adoption satisfaction is based on what you and your child’s adoptive parents make of it. If you are unsatisfied or disappointed with your open adoption communication plan, it is best to talk to your adoption specialist.

Open adoption is so widely chosen because of the many benefits, and if you’re having trouble coping with the grief and loss of adoption, you may need to contact an adoption counselor. You can contact an adoption professional today to learn more about open adoption in Idaho.