November is World Adoption Month. It’s the month where adoptee voices are centred. It’s the month where the layers of adoption are peeled back and we have an opportunity to listen, lean in and look at adoption through the lens of adoptees.
Why pass the mic? As parents and professionals we can learn and listen to the different voices who choose to share their stories. Stories are different, but themes pervade. This is where mirrors can be held up to teach, grow and stretch us as we strive to see the children in our care, whether as parents or professionals, thrive.
We’ve rounded up some social media posts shared by adult adoptees over the past few weeks. While the stories shared below are from American adoptees, their stories share common threads with what we heard from our guests – Leigh and Edja – at our Pass the Mic event earlier this month and this article titled The untold adoption stories of South African men is an important read.
Some key, mic drop moments from our conversation with Leigh and Edja included:
- Adoption is something that you give to each other, it’s a process of choosing each other.
- Consistency Matters
- Openness matters
- Validate your child’s feelings, make space for them
- Find support for your WHOLE family, not just your child
- Make sure that there are opportunities for appropriate physical outlets of emotional energy.