Orienting to Open Adoption, Considering Contact, and Reflecting on Race

This chapter provides an in-depth look at the preadoption stage, outlining parents’ different approaches to open adoption. Some parents oriented to open adoption relatively easily, whereas others hesitated or immediately placed caveats on the level of openness they would consider with regard to birth parents. Adoption programming, exposure to other families in open adoption, and other experiences ultimately caused shifts in many participants’ views of openness. Some participants concluded that they would not actually be willing to pursue an adoption with expectant parents who were uninterested in some level of contact. In addition to considering participants’ desired level of contact with the birth family, this chapter also considers their openness regarding children’s race. Openness regarding contact and race are two of the most significant dimensions of prospective adopters’ decision making and in part determine what placements are possibilities for them. Finally, this chapter also considers parents’ openness with respect to a potential child’s prenatal drug and alcohol exposure.