Supporting Adoptees On National Adoption Day: Understanding The History And Implications

National Adoption Day is an annual event that was established to raise awareness of the challenges children in foster care face and encourage eligible and prepared families to adopt a child. This day can be a time to raise adoptee voices, learn more about the adoption process, and consider making a difference in a child’s life. Below, we’re covering the history and significance of National Adoption Day and discussing ways you can spread awareness of the cause. 

What is National Adoption Day? 

National Adoption Day is an awareness effort that prompts courts, organizations, and communities to open their doors and services to families on the Saturday before Thanksgiving to finalize adoptions. In 2024, the holiday will be celebrated on November 23rd. National Adoption Day has helped facilitate the adoption of more than 85,000 children since its beginning in 1999, when it was launched by national partners the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Alliance for Children’s Rights, and Children’s Action Network. 

Why is National Adoption Day significant? 

National Adoption Day highlights the need for a focus on ethical adoption, which connects children with safe and loving family homes. It also illuminates the challenges children in foster care often experience. For example, up to 80% of foster children live with significant mental health challenges, which often arise out of trauma. When prospective adoptive families can learn more about the realities of adoption and the experiences of children in the foster care system, they may be more prepared to support adoptees.   

Understanding adoption and mental health: Adoptee trauma 

According to researchers, adoption and foster care can lead to psychological trauma, regardless of the situation. Many adoptees have witnessed or experienced abuse or substance use in their birth family; and often, children and teens are in foster care due to abandonment, the death of a caregiver, or other traumatic events. Adoption can also be traumatic for babies, who may experience turmoil in their first days and months of life, potentially leading to attachment difficulties and other mental health-related concerns.

Adoptive families may find it helpful to learn more about the mental health impacts of adoption before adopting a child. Experiencing trauma can put children at a higher risk for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and other mental health conditions. 

If you’re considering adoption, it may help to develop a plan to address potential trauma and support your adoptive child’s mental wellness. If you’re not going to adopt or aren’t an adoptive parent, you can learn more about adoption and its impacts by reading memoirs or watching social media content from adult adoptees. Many adoptees report experiencing challenges in childhood due to a lack of awareness of the mental health impacts of adoption. These stories may provide insights into the complex effects of foster care and the adoption process. 

Is adoption always traumatic? 

Adoption is generally a positive process that can benefit both the adoptive family and child. Often, adoptees are happy to be adopted and brought into a permanent home. However, certain aspects of adoption in the US may lead to a higher risk of trauma. For example, children who aren’t matched with a family may have a sense that they are not “good enough” to be adopted. 

In addition, many children have closed adoptions where they cannot see their birth certificate or learn information about their birth family. This may lead to them not knowing their health history, genetic history, or family traits. Their names are often changed, which can erase their identity from birth and lead to a lack of a sense of self. For this reason, parents can look for ethical adoption organizations or consider fostering to adopt. Adoptive parents may also benefit from speaking to a therapist with a trauma or adoption background before adopting a child.  

How to celebrate adoptions for National Adoption Day 

Below are a few ways adoptive families and others can celebrate National Adoption Day. 

Donate or volunteer

If you’d like to provide material help to children in foster care, consider donating to one of the organizations responsible for National Adoption Day, a local adoption-focused group, or another non-profit. You can also send care packages or gifts for the holidays. (Contact a foster coordinator to learn where to send gifts.) 

To offer your time, consider volunteering for National Adoption Day events. You might help register people for a local event or serve as a witness for court hearings. Some people also volunteer as advocates for foster children, known as court-appointed special advocates (CASAs). This process takes longer but would allow you to speak on a child’s behalf in court and spend quality time with them. CASAs are often helpful in ensuring the child has someone on their side who will listen to, advocate for, and support them during the adoption case. 

Tell your story 

If you are an adoptee, you might want to share your foster care or adoption story with others to spread awareness. You can talk about the current system's potential pitfalls and outline possible areas of improvement. If you are grateful to your adoptive family, you might make a social media post thanking them for their love and presence in your life. You can also stay silent about your story if you wish to not talk about it or celebrate this holiday. 

Advocate for adoptees

Several organizations focus on adoptee rights and legislation, such as the Adoptee Rights Law Center. These groups advocate for adoptees, especially those who have faced trauma or are looking to improve the adoption system. You can learn more about adoptee stories from these organizations and get involved to make a difference. 

Go to an event 

Many organizations host events for National Adoption Day in over 400 communities nationwide. You can find an event on the National Adoption Day website, or register your own event. The most common types of events on this day are openings in the court system for more adoptions over the weekend before Thanksgiving. However, you might also find fundraisers, awareness events, or celebrations. 

How to adopt a child for National Adoption Day

Adoption requires significant amounts of preparation, knowledge, and resources. If you’re considering adoption, it can help to review as much information as possible about adoption, mental health, trauma, and adoptee rights before taking the first step.  

When you’re ready to adopt, you may be asked to pay a fee, sign paperwork, and attend court hearings. The child’s biological parents may have their rights terminated before you sign the adoption paperwork. In addition, you may have several home visits from social workers to ensure that your home is safe, and that you can provide for your child. If your adoption is approved, several administrative tasks will typically need to be completed. However, logistics can vary significantly depending on your location, so consider talking to a lawyer to learn more. 

The mental health impacts of foster care and adoption 

Foster care and adoption are complex, but research shows that certain factors during these processes can influence a child’s mental health. Below are insightful findings from studies on mental health, foster care, and adoption:

• Warm parenting from adoptive parents can  of problems by adoptee children 
• Being adopted can  of having contact with a mental health professional 
• Having  can improve mental health outcomes during foster care and adoption 

How to support children for National Adoption Day

To support adoptees or children in foster care on National Adoption Day, consider volunteering, donating your time and money, or learning more about the challenges of the adoption system. Adoption can be exciting for adoptive parents and children; but for many adoptees, it is a traumatic event that completely changes their lives forever. An increase in awareness of these concerns may help alleviate the distress that children and teens affected by the system experience. You can also participate in organizations that provide mentoring, tutoring, or other services to adoptees or children in foster care. 

Adoption can be traumatic and complex

Talk to a compassionate therapist

Professional support options 

If you’re living with mental health concerns related to adoption or other life challenges, you’re not alone. Talking to a therapist can be a helpful way to process concerns arising out of the adoption process and cultivate mental wellness. However, talking to a therapist in person may not be feasible for all families. In these cases, online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp may be more convenient. 

Through an online platform, clients can connect with a therapist from home at a time that works for them, including outside standard business hours. In addition, online therapy can be a more cost-effective option than in-person therapy, which may be helpful for those who have financial difficulties. Studies show that online therapy is especially effective for parents, helping them develop important emotional regulation skills and improving their ability to show up emotionally for their children. 

Takeaway 

National Adoption Day is an event that prompts courts and organizations to open their doors to families to finalize their adoptions the weekend before Thanksgiving. This day is also meant to spread awareness of the challenges faced by adoptees and their families. If you’d like to explore your journey with adoption or address other mental health-related challenges, consider seeking guidance from a therapist online or in your area.