The Spirit of Open AdoptionAn outspoken and ardent advocate for openness in adoption, James Gritter writes of the need for members of the adoption triad to emphasize services that first and foremost benefit adoptees. Open adoption serves children first by reversing the traditional hierarchy -- by treating adoptive families as resources for birthfamilies. Adoptive parents, birthparents, and adoptees come together in a spirit of extended family that helps them replace the fear, pain, shame, and loss of adoption with honor, respect, and reverence. Drawing on the profound insights of contemporary thinkers in the fields of adoption, theology, philosophy, and literature, Gritter guides the reader along a spiritual journey that explores the candor, commitment, community, and cooperation that define successful open adoptions. |
Contents
Understanding Open Adoption | 19 |
Exquisite Adoptions | 41 |
Honoring the Child | 53 |
Copyright | |
15 other sections not shown
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
able accept adop adoptive family adoptive parents approach arrangement baby beauty become begin believe better birthfamily birthmother birthparents bring called candor challenge child choice circumstances closed comfort commitment concern consider course create decision dependence desire difficult effective effort emotional expect experience face fact factors fear feel fully gift give gratitude grow hand handle heart honor hope human idea important interest involved issues keep lead leader less lives look matter means mind move nature never observation offer open adoption opportunity pain participants person perspective positive possible potential practice problems professional prospective question reasonable relationship requires respect responsibility result role secrecy sense shame shared social sometimes spirit sure things tion trust truth understand usually values worker