Creating an adoption profile is often a daunting task for many hopeful adoptive parents. This piece of adoption paperwork is a representation of everything you are to a prospective birthmother. That’s why you need to think thoroughly about what information you want to include and what do you withhold. Your adoption profile is the first impression and it could change your life, so you want it to be perfect. It can only be perfect if you’re authentic when creating it, and if you avoid some of the following mistakes.
1. Trying to sound perfect.
Some people think that the only path to parenthood is one where you have to become perfect parents. The person reading your profile isn’t perfect, in fact, no one is perfect. If you’re trying to sound like you have a perfect life, your profile is going to sound generic. Avoid this mistake and instead, make your profile as individual as you are.
2. Lying.
On of the biggest mistakes you can make in your adoptive family profile is writing things you can’t back up in later conversations. This can ruin your chances of creating a relationship with a prospective birthmother. Start your adoption journey in a positive tone and be honest about everything you write.
3. Writing from one perspective.
Speaking in only one voice as a two-parent family is a big mistake. You can avoid this if you talk to your partner through all parts of the profile. Make your profile interesting and take turns writing different sections, or write it together and use “we” throughout.
4. Answering questions with short sentences.
A common mistake is just listing things you like to do. It’s great that you have so many hobbies, but a hopeful birthmother wants to know why you’re interested in a certain activity. The purpose of this profile is to give a deeper insight into who you are as a family.
5. Choosing the wrong photos.
You shouldn’t include any bad quality photos, retouched photos, and very posed photos in your adoptive family profile. A visual part of your profile is important, so avoid sharing selfies and out of focus photos. If you’re not into photography, you can always hire a professional to take candid photography of your household. It is usually very beneficial.
6. Not mentioning your future child.
This profile needs to assure a hopeful birthmother that you’re going to be a good parent, so it’s crucial to talk about your future child in your family profile. Even though you haven’t met your child yet, you can talk about the things you plan on teaching and the values you plan on instilling.
More than a gift with the written word or your scrapbooking abilities, authenticity is the key to an adoption profile. Show who you really are, not who you wish you were. This is the only way to relate to a hopeful birthmother and start the wonderful journey of adoption.
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