Most of the children involved in open adoptions are still under ten years old. Until researchers can follow these children in large numbers for a long time, Brodzinsky says, we will not really know what open adoption meant for them. Car dealers sell Mustangs, for example, instead of Tortoises. The language we use in the child-care setting can similarly encourage children to view adoption in a positive light. Adoption should not be thought of as a condition, Johnston says.
Adoption is a method of joining a family just as birth is.
It is also a method of family planning. In most situations, there is no need to refer to adoption at all. It also perpetuates the idea that Kathy is different because of the way she joined her family. The persons who raise and nurture a child are his parents. Avoid using real parent, real mother, real father, real family, natural parent, and natural child.